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THE LIFE,

SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

OF

JAMES A. GARFIELD,

TWENTIETH PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED ST A TES.

INCLUDING AN ACCOUNT OF HIS

ASSASSINATION, LINGERING PAIN, DEATH,
AND BURIAL.

RUSSELL HTCONWELL,

AUTHOR OF "LIFE OF PRESIDENT HAYES," "LIFE OF BAYARD TAYLOR,"
"GREAT FIRE IN BOSTON," ETC, ETC

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY

HIS EXCELLENCY JOHN D. LONG,

Governor of Massachusetts. *\

v\VV

PORTLAND, ME.:

GEORGE STINSON & COMPANY.

1882.

Copyright, 1881,
By GEORGE STINSON & CO.

DEDIC7PFI6]S.

TO MRS. ELIZA GARFIELD, AND TO HER SISTER, MRS. ALPHA
BOYNTON, PIONEERS AND CO-WORKERS IN THE DE-
VELOPMENT OF A GREAT STATE, THIS BOOK IS
GRATEFULLY DEDICATED. FROM SUCH
SPRANG THE NOBLEST AND MOST
POWERFUL RACES OF MANKIND.

PREFACE.

— f—

History is but the aggregate of individual biog-
raphies, and it sometimes happens in the history of
great nations that the biography of a single man,
comprehensively written, contains all the important
history of the government through a series of years.
The study of biography in the records of nearly
every nation furnishes the surest and easiest means
of obtaining certain and lasting information concern-
ing the institutions, character, events, and time. It
is, however, in the moral effect upon the readers
that the writing and study of biography places its
highest claims. It encourages the young, gives hope
to the hopeless, warns the careless, cautions the fool-
ish, and by its descent into the little details of prac-
tical life furnishes a guide, companion, and counsel-
or to every student.

The life of the martyred President, James Abram
Garfield, furnishes a record of peculiar advantage to
the young men of our land in their choice of habits,
professions, companions, and political principles. It
is surely a remarkably transparent and pure life.
Yet we have too much confidence in our nation to
think that even his life is a very great exception.

PREFACE.

His biography is of equal importance to the women
of the land, abounding as it does in incidents of
motherly devotion, heroism, and love, and in accounts
of the sublime courage, affection, and self-sacrifices
of true wifehood.

It is the earnest hope of the writer that the biog-
raphy of General Garfield in some form may find
its way into every library, and that the interest in
it may long outlive any present excitement concern-
ing it ; for the lessons it teaches, the courage it im-
parts, the love of honor and truth it awakens, and
the sweet pictures of domestic affection, filial devo-
tion, patriotic heroism, and religious faith which it
reveals in our American life, cannot be valued too
highly in the education of future generations. Of
such a life it is a duty and a pleasure to write, and
of such he believes it will be a duty and a pleasure
to read.

INTRODUCTION.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts, •»

Executive Department, Boston, September 27, 188 \.\

My Dear Colonel, — In answer to your letter, I
regret very much that I have not time to write an
extended introduction to your biography of General
Garfield, which, now that his noble life is ended, I
am glad to know is to be revised and again published.
I cordially furnish you, however, my remarks at the
dinner, last July, of the alumni of Williams College.
But no tribute can do^justice either to him or to the
deep and loving sentiment of admiration and sym-
pathy in which he is held in the hearts of the peo-
ple. The best tribute is in the simple story of his
heroic and ascending life and character. The youth
of America will read it, and be reminded that they,
too, can make their " lives sublime."
Very truly yours,

John D. Long.
Colonel R. H. Conwell.

The days that cluster around our glorious Fourth,
turning its glory into sadness, are days not of alarm,

12 INTRODUCTION.

but sorrow. The heart of the nation is broken and
melts in tears, but its faith and courage are un-
shaken. For the second time in the history of our
republic a President has been shot by an assassin.
But this time, thank God, no organized political or
social purpose or significance crouches close behind
the deed. The great victim lies not a sacrifice to
partisan or sectional malignity. The party of half
the people whose gallant candidate he defeated ; the
belt of humbled States which stood solid against his
election, as they stood solid less than twenty years
ago against his sword ; and even the embittered mal-
contents in his own ranks, had no hand in his mur-
der ; but all alike, in the better nobility of human
nature, now stand in common horror and pity over
his wounds. Nay, the whole world, betraying its gen-
uine faith and hope in the American republic, lifts
its outstretched arms, and its hands are filled with
the lilies of sympathy for us and for him. No decree
issued through the secret channels of banded social-
ists made his assailant their slave and tool. Th<
Czar fell beneath the avenging and relentless pursuit
of organized murder. Abraham Lincoln fell the last
and noblest martyr of a civil war which, victorious
upon the field, yet carried in its train the forked
and hissing flames of treachery and assassination.
But Garfield, in a time of profound peace, when,
aided by his own generous words, the sympathies of
the Union were welding into their old fraternity, of
which there could be no better proof than the trib-
utes of sympathy that have come up to him from
every quarter ; in a time of universal prosperity,
when the whole land smiles with the promise of
plenteous harvests and with the happy homes and
returns of thrifty industry ; in a country the very
atmosphere of which is freedom, where no man's lips
are tied, and where no man lives who has not before

TNTRODUCTION. 13

the law equal redress with every other man, — ay,
and full redress for every grievance ; in a country
which is a very asylum for the oppressed of the
whole world else, — Garfield, the embodiment of
American humanity ; whose name a year ago was on
these walls as the hope and example not only of the
scholar, but of the poor and humble ; whose heart
never had an ungenerous throb ; upon whom the
only criticism was the boyish and bubbling sympathy
of his nature; who had risked his life in battle for
his fellow-men, and pitched his voice in peace to the
highest notes of liberty, — Garfield falls bleeding be-
neath the crazy pistol-shot of a fool. The monstrous
meaninglessness of the purpose robs the deed of
something of its horror. But not meaningless is the
lesson. If the will that did the killing was that of a
maniac, yet the maniac takes his cue as well as other
men. This time, so far as he took it from the Nihil-
ists' sophistry and the spectacle of the czar's death,
let it be a warning. So far as he took it from the
poisonous example of great party leaders dragging
the honor of American politics into the mire of spoils
and plunder, let it be a warning. So far as he took
it from a system which makes the holding of civil
office the reward of the most persistent camp-fol-
lower and go-between, let it be a warning.

These are lessons which this awful calamity teaches.
But it does not shake the foundations of that " gov-
ernment of the people which shall not perish from
the earth." If the murderer was of sound mind, let
his punishment be stern, swift, and sure. If not, or,
in any event, terrible as is the blow, it is like the
lightning which knows no respect of persons, save
that the tallest monarch of the forest oftenest at-
tracts and takes the stroke. Let no worshiper of
more absolute government find in this event a charge
against our own. In the prophetic and reverent words

r4 INTRODUCTION.

of the President himself upon the death of Lincoln,
— reverent alike toward heaven and, as is his wont,
toward his fellow-men, — " God reigns, and the gov-
ernment at Washington still lives." And God grant,
is the fervent prayer of Massachusetts, that our now
stricken President may rise from his wounds to the
renewed love and loyalty of his people, and to the
yet better administration of their affairs. So shall
our chastisement work our welfare. Yes, while Pres-
ident Garfield's administration had not yet worked
out of port into the open sea, nevertheless this sud-
den peril of his life has reawakened us to the great,
undoubted nobility of his life, his services, and his
character. Whatever else was true, in him a great
American heart throbbed at the centre of govern-
ment. There may have been question of some of
his personal selections, but the nation's relation to
other nations has suffered nothing in dignity or right,
its material and financial interests have been secure,
and the frauds that had been suffered to fester in
its flesh have been put to the curing and stern knife
of excoriation.

And yet, when the rumor came, as it came at first,
that Garfield was dead, we called up less the Presi-
dent than the man. What a graceful tribute to our
government of the people it is that, North, South,
East, and West, not a true citizen is there whose
heart did not go out with the sympathy and tender-
ness of comradeship ! It is one of our own number
that has been stricken down. It is the poor boy of
our own youth, bare of foot and weighted with pov-
erty, lifting his eyes through humble toil to the
heights of American education and opportunity. It
is our own classmate, revisiting the college halls and
classic scenes of his youth to lay the wreath of his
gfeat glory at the feet of his alma mater, and to read
in the loving eyes of his wife and children the hon-

INTRODUCTION. 1 5

est pride that comes from the hand-clasp and con-
gratulations of those who knew and loved him in
early days. It is the comrade of our own veterans,
who fought with him at Chickamauga. It is our
own tribune, who, on the floor of Congress, upon the
platform, in many a brave and inspiring word to his
countrymen, young and old, has spoken so nobly for
humanity, for equal rights, for honest money, for
high ideals and systems of political service, and for
the national advancement And it is to the wife and
mother, not of the President, but of one of our own
number, that our tenderest sympathies go forth as
we recall the ripe and bending years of the one,
whose brow is still happy with the inauguration kiss
of her boy, and whose life spans at once the Western
pioneer's cabin and the White House, — a tragedy at
either end, — or recall the devotion of the other from
school-days till now, who has alike brightened his
simple Western home, and to-day, in this terrible
crisis, sitting at his bedside, stands for the heroism
of American womanhood.

Amid these halls for the education of American
youth, most earnestly do I claim that such a crime is
utterly un-American, — as shocking and irrelevant as
the monstrosities that now and then sully the fair
perfection of nature herself. All the more for that
reason the contrast brings out the normal placidity
and security of our freedom. Grief and pity and
sorrow are ours, but with them come the lesson and
the duty, — to stand closer, to raise the standard
higher, to rise above the meanness of wrangle and
selfish plundering, to scatter the miasmatic fog of
fanaticism with common sense and good example,
and to live more for ourselves by living less for our-
selves and more for our fellow-men and country. I
offer the prayer which is in all your hearts, and
which is breathed by the whole Commonwealth, from

l6 INTRODUCTION.

Greylock's top to the pebbles upon the beach at
Provincetown, — prayer for the restoration to health
and duty, and for the return another year to these
beautiful scenes, with which his name and memory
will be forever associated, of Williams' foremost grad-
uate, Massachusetts' distinguished descendant, and
the nation's beloved President, James A. Garfield !

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

Genealogy of the Garfield Family. — Earliest Mention of them in Eng-
land. — Associated with Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, favor-
ite of Qneen Elizabeth. — The Family in Wales. — The Home of
Edward Garfield in Chester, England. — The First of the Family
in America. — The Coat of Arms. — History of Captain Benjamin
Garfield. — Abraham Garfield at the Concord Fight, in 1775. —
Emigration of Solomon to New York State. — Death of Thomas
at Worcester, N. Y. — Birth of Abraham Garfield. — His removal
to Ohio. — His Marriage with Eiiza Ballon. — Brothers marry Sis-
ters. — Their Remarkable Characteristics. — Early Married Life
along the New Canal. — Birth of the first Children. — Selection of
a Home in the Woods, 25

CHAPTER II.

THE OLD HOMESTEAD.

The Opening of Ohio to Settlers.— The Early Habitations. — The
Primitiv « Forests. — Wild Beasts. — Appearance of Cleveland. —
Fertility of th* Soil. — Abram Garfield and his Wife. — Excursion
of the Brothers into the Woods. — Selection of a Home. — The
first Clearing. — Sniiill Quarters.— Arrival of the Boynton Family.

— The first Cabin. — The Removal of the Garfield Family. — The
Forest Road. — Two Families in One. — Joy of the Sisters. — No
Place like One's own Home. — The Garfield Log Cabin. — Settle-
ments opened about Them. —Clearing their Farm. — The School-
House, 38

CHAPTER III.

BIRTH OF JAMES AND DEATH OF HIS FATHER.

Birth of James. — The Fourth Child of the Family. — Rejoioings. —
Humble Surroundings. — Named after his Uncle and his Father.

— Effect of that Calamity. —Sympathy of the Neighbors.— In
Debt. — Widow advised to give away her Children. — Attempting
to save the Home. — Finishing the Rail Fence. — Industry of
Thomas. — His Self-sacrifice. — Occupation of the Widow. — Her
Love for Reading. — Teaching Little James, .... 46

1 8 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER IV.

HABITS AND INCIDENTS OF HIS BOYHOOD.

Not precocious. — His Plays. — A petted youngest Child. — His early
Tasks. — Absence of a Father's Discipline. — His absolute Truth-
fulness. — Could not lie to his Mother. — Ashamed to be called a
Coward. — His Uncle Amos. — Wholesome Fear. — Love of Poe-
try. — Names the Trees and Rocks after Heroes and Heroines. —
Beading at home. — Country Lyceum. — Mother's Watch-care, 55

CHAPTER V.

YOUTHFUL OCCUPATIONS.

Early Maturity. — Boiling Salts. — A Man's Work at Harvesting. —
Ambition to be a Carpenter. — New Frame House at Orange. —
Learning the Trade. — Out of Work. — Chopping Wood. — Wish-
es to be a Sailor. — Visits a Ship at Cleveland. — Abandons the
Idea of being a Sailor. — Finds Employment on the Ohio Canal.

— A Driver Boy. — Fever and Ague. — A Quarrel. — An Acci-
dent. — Goes Home to his Mother, , 67

CHAPTER VI.

EFFORTS TO OBTAIN AN EDUCATION.

Slow Recovery. — Meeting with Mr. Bates. — A Private Tutor. — De-
termined Beginning. — The Geauga Seminary. — Estimates the
Cost of a Term at School. — Earns a small Sum to start with. —
His Mother's Help. — Boarding himself at Chester. — Pudding and
Molasses. — Advantages of a healthy Body. — Teaching School. —
Vacation Work. — Interest in Religion. — Disciples of Christ. —
Religious Persecution. — Trustworthy Work. — A Good Name, 78

CHAPTER VII.

SCHOLAR AND TEACHER AT HIRAM.

Leaving Chester. — Description of Hiram. — The Crown of Ohio. —
The Eclectic Institute. — Course of Study. — A Leader among the
Students. — Janitor of the Building. — Urged to become a Preach-
er.— Determined to attend College. — The Debating Club. — A
Revolt. — Outside Studies. — Work as a teacher. — Works on alone
into the College Text-books. — Borrows money of his Uncle
Thomas. — Starts for Williamstown College, . . . .91

CHAPTER VIII.

LIFE AT WILLIAMS COLLEGE.

His Health. — Appearance of the Hoosac Valley. — Scenery about
Williams College. — The Great Natural Amphitheatre. —The
Mountains in October. — Character of the Students. — Garfield's
Habits as a Student. — Enters the Junior Class. — His Modesty.

— Friendship of President Hopkins and Professor Chadbourne. —
His Truthfulness at College. — His Graduation. — Classmates, 102

CONTENTS. 19

CHAPTER IX.

A PREACHER AND PROFESSOR.

A Preacher in the Church of the Disciples. — Estimation of his Abil-
ities among his old Neighbors. — Rise of Infidelity at Chagrin
Falls. — Spiritualism and Christianity. — Exciting public Discus-
Bion. — Professor Denton vs. Professor Garfield. — How the Victo-
ry was won. — Mr. Garfield's Popularity as a Teacher. — Testimo-
ny of Students. — Marriage with Miss Lucretia Rudolph. — Hit
Speech at Hiram, . HI

CHAPTER X.

POLITICIAN AND LAWYER.

Political Sympathies. — Hope of making the Law a Profession. — En-
ters his Name as a Student. — Years of hard Study. — Profitable
Use of all his Time. — His Legal Research. — Interest in Local
Politics. — A Stump-speaker's Challenge. — First Speech. — Nom-
ination for the State Senate. — In the Service of the State. —
Leaving the Gospel for Politics. — Mrs. Garfield's Love of Domes-
tic Life, 124

CHAPTER XI.

THE EVENTFUL YEAR OF 1 86 1.

Admission to the Bar. — Withdraws from Ministerial "Work. — Oppo-
sition to Slavery. — Leadership in the State Senate. — The Gov-
ernor's Assistant. — Providing for the Troops. — The Regiment of
Hiram Students. — Depletion of the Classes. — Appointment as
Lieutenant-Colonel. — Promotion. — Departure for the Field. —
Consultation with General Buel. — Plan of a Campaign. — March
against Marshall. — Battle of Prestonburgh. —The Account of F.
H. Mason. — Promotion, . 134

CHAPTER XII.

CAMPAIGNS IN KENTUCKY AND TENNESSEE.

Lack of Provisions. —The Great Flood. — Dangerous Situation of the
Troops. — General Garfield goes to the Ohio River. — Perilous
Voyage up the Big Sandy. — Reception by the Hungry Troops. —
Expedition against the Enemy at Pound Gap. — General Orders
connected with his Campaign. — His Transfer to I^ouisville. — His
New Command. — Forced Marches. —The Battle of Corinth. —
Refusal to return Slaves to their Masters. — Election to Congress.
Appointment as Chief of General Koswrans' Staff. — Battle of
Chickamauga. — Promotion to Major-General. — Resignation, 157

20 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XIII.

REVIEW OF HIS MILITARY CAREER,

Fitii68s for Military Affairs. — How he became familiar with Infantry
Tactics. — Carries the chief Characteristics of hie Boyhood mto
Army Life. — His Knowledge of Law. — Military Trials. — The
Tullahoma Campaign. — His Ability as an Engineer. — His great
Plan for an onward Movement from Mnrfreesboro.' — His Official
Report. — Compliment from General Rosecrans. — His Resigna-
tion, 175

CHAPTER XIV.

SERVICE AS A LEGISLATOR.

A new Field. — The highest Test of human Greatness. — The Ameri-
can Congress. — Frequent Failures of noted Men. — The Trials of
that Crisi3. — Placed on the Military Committee. — The Style of
his Speeches. — His Industry. — His Reply to Mr. Long. — Ac
impromptu Speech. — The Compliments of Old Members, . 187

CHAPTER XV.

EARLY SPEECHES.

His Position concerning the Draft for the Army. — Differs with his
own Party. — Contends for Frankness and Truth. — Hopeful View
of the Nation's Success. —National Conscience and Slavery. —
Emancipation the Remedy for National Evils. — Defense of Gen-
eral Rosecrans. — Tribute to General Thomas. — His Account of
the Battle of Chickamauga. — The Doctrine of State Rights. —
Camden and Amboy Railroad vs. the United States. — What is
the Power and Prerogative of the Nation, . ... 202

CHAPTER XVI.

EULOGIES OF NOTED MEN.

To Abraham Lincoln. — The Anniversary of Mr. Lincoln's Death. —
Cause of the Assassination. — Effect of his Doatb — A Beautiful
Tribute. — Oration on Carpenter's Painting. — Signing the Eman-
cipation Proclamation. —Its Place in History. — John Winthrop
and Samuel Adams. — The Gift of Massachusetts. — General Gar-
field's Tribute to New England. — The Lesson of Self-restraint. —
Remarks upon the Death of Senator Morton, .... 216

CHAPTER XVII.

PERIOD OP UNPOPULARITY.

His Practice of Law. —His lirst Case in the Supreme Court. — Hie
success as a Lawyer. — Unpopularity of his Defense of Rebels in
Court. — His Connection with a Matter called the De Golyer

CONTENTS. 21

Pavement Case. — How he was Maligned. — Persistency of Enemies.
— The great Credit Mobilier Case — Vindication of General Garfield. —
His Story of his Dealings with Oakes Ames. — His Opposition to the
Increase of Salaries in Congress. — The Censure of his Constituents. —
His Explanation. — Restoration to Public Favor .... 244

CHAPTER XVIII.

LABORS IN CONGRESS.

Appointment on Committees. — Variety of Work. — His Leadership. — List
of Speeches. — The Electoral Commission. — Speech in Wall Street. —
His Views on Finances. — Resumption of Specie Payments . . 318

CHAPTER XIX.

SENATOR AND CANDIDATE FOR THE PRESIDENCY.

Action of his Old Neighbors. — Election to the U. S. Senate by the Ohio
Legislature. — His Speech. — Views of his Family. — Their New Home
at Mentor. — The Chicago Convention. — Strange Prophecies. — The
Great Partisan Conflict. — His Nomination on the 36th Ballot. — The
Slanderous Campaign. — General Garfield's Behavior. — Triumphant
Election 324

CHAPTER XX.

INAUGURATION.

Assailed by Office Seekers. — The Responsibilities and Annoyances of a Pres-
ident. — Methods of Securing a Hearing. — General Garfield's Self -Sac-
rifice. — His Home Life Broken Up. — Ceremonies of Inauguration. —
Difficulties in Selection of Counselors. — The Cabinet . . . . 335

CHAPTER XXI.

THE ASSASSINATION.

Charles J. Guiteau. — Seeking an Appointment. — Events of his Life. — His
Dishonesty. — A Lawyer, Writer, and Stump Speaker. — Applies for a
Consulship. — The Refusal. — Deadly Purpose. — Encouragement from
the Political Contest in the Senate. — Determines to Murder the Presi-
dent.— Hopes of Escape. — Following the President. — Failure of his
Courage. — Mrs. Garfield's Pale Face saves the President. — The Final
Attempt. — The Meeting. — The Fatal Shot. — The Prison. — The
White House. — Universal Grief. — Exhibitions of Heroic Devotion and
Love. — The Prisoner in his Cell 343

22 CONTEND ■

CHAPTER XXII.

DEATH AND BURIAL.

Removal to Long Branch. — The Francklyn Cottage. — Views of the Sea. —
— Pictures of Grief. — The Physicians. — The Attendants. — Last Mo-
ments.— Sympathy of the People and of the Nations. — The Funeral
Procession r— In State at Washington. — Funeral at Cleveland. — His
Resting Place . 354

CHAPTER XXIII.

IN MEMORIAM.
Incidents, Anecdotes, Tributes, and Reflections 377

ILLUSTRATIONS.

PORTRAIT OF GENERAL GARFIELD. Steel.

Fkontispiucb
PORTRAIT OF MRS. GARFIELD. Steel. Opposite page 120

EARLY HOME OF GENERAL GARFD2LD. " ■ <m

TOW BOY « « 74

HTRAM COLLEGE ■ "S3

CAPITOL AT COLUMBUS "135

"GIVE *EM HAIL COLUMBIA" . . . Opposite page 140

PLAN OF CHICKAMAUGA BATTLE-FIELD " " 171

CAPITOL AT WASHINGTON . . . . "191

RESIDENCE AT MENTOR . . . Opposite " 826

White house, Washington .... « 341

assassination « "350

scene in sick room « "354

francklyn cottage at long branch " " 355

portrait of his mother ... " "357

group of his five children . « - 359

lying in state at the capitol . " " 363

view of procession, cleveland . " " 374
view in lake vdzw cemetery, the

last resting-place of president

garfield « « s7«

THE LIFE,
SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

OF

GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD.

CHAPTER I.

GENEALOGY OF THE GARFIELD FAMILY. — EARLIEST MENTION OF THEM
IN ENGLAND. — ASSOCIATED WITH ROBERT DUDLEY, EARL OF LEICES-
TER, FAVORITE OF QUEEN ELIZABETH. — THE FAMILY IN WALES.
— THE HOME OF EDWARD GARFIELD LN CHESTER, ENGLAND. — THE
FIRST OF THE FAMILY IN AMERICA. — THE COAT OF ARMS. — HIS-
TORY OF CAPTAIN BENJAMIN GARFIELD. — ABRAHAM GARFIELD AT
THE CONCORD FIGHT, LN 1775. — EMIGRATION OF SOLOMON TO NEW
YORK STATE. — DEATH OF THOMAS AT WORCESTER, N. Y. — BIRTH
OF ABRAM GARFIELD. — HIS REMOVAL TO OHIO. — HIS MARRIAGE
WITH ELIZA BALLOU. — BROTHERS MARRY SISTERS. — THEIR RE-
MARKABLE CHARACTERISTICS. — EARLY MARRIED LIFE ALONG THE
NEW CANAL. — BIRTH OF THE FIRST CHILDREN. — SELECTION OF A
HOME IN THE WOODS.

Should the time ever come when it shall ' be
proven by scientific investigators that man, as a be-
ing, is but " the aggregation of minute developments
and of varied experiences," the genealogical history
of his ancestors will be shown to be of the first im-
portance in forming an estimate of his ability and

26 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

character. If it be true, as now claimed by scien-
tific leaders of modern thought, that the child is born
with all the experiences and mental accumulations of
bis progenitors, paternal and maternal, latent in his
brain and system ; then, to gain a knowledge of his
physical mould and of his mental peculiarities, the
student of biography would need to secure impossi-
ble information about the lives of the generations
past in order to measure the physical power and
mental capabilities of the man whose life he studies.
Whether the writers and scholars who devote so
much of their time to genealogical studies take this
scientific view of the matter or not, it is certain that,
for some reason, the study of genealogy is taking a
prominent place in the pursuits of scholarly men.
Having, however, no faith in the theory that the
men of to-day are but the aggregations of experi-
ences and developments in the past, and giving but
little credit to the aristocratic claim that ancestry
makes the nobleman, we give the line of the Garfield
family for the benefit of such as may deem it import-
ant. The tendency of this record is to show that all
the individuals of the different races are born into
the world with very similar characteristics and with
much greater equality in mental endowments than
aristocracy is willing to admit. It shows, too, that it
is not what our fathers were so much as what we
make of ourselves, that determines our right to no-
bility or praise. Ancestry and health wield a per-
ceptible and sometimes a strong influence ; but the
capital we are born with may be increased a hundred

OF GENERAL JAMES A, GARFIELD. 2J

fold by our own exertions. It is this increase which
constitutes the noblest claim to human greatness.

The earliest known mention of the Garfield family
is in 1587, when it appears that one James Garfield
(or Gearfeldt), was given a tract of land on the bor-
ders of Wales, near Chester, England, through the
influence of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. A
natural inference would be that he had performed
some military service on the Continent, under that
celebrated favorite of Royalty, or was of some special
service to Robert at Kenilworth or London. The
estate thus conferred is said to be situated near Os-
westry, and not far from the most beautiful and cele-
brated vale of Llangollen, on the border of Wales.
What was the nationality of James Garfield, whether
Welch or English, German or Dutch, does not ap-
pear. The most probable conjecture is that he was
Welch, and was a warrior of some note, perhaps a de-
scendant of the old Knights of Gaerfili Castle. The
estate conferred upon him was either released by
him, taken from him, or for some reason his children
did not inherit it, and no mention of them appears,
so far as is now known, in any record of the Garfield
family until 1630, when Edward Gearfield, of Ches-
ter, England, came to America, in a company of
colonists, who embarked with his family under the
auspices of Governor John Winthrop.

The name appears again at Watertown, Massachu-
setts, in 1635, and is probably the same man. He
was born in 1575. Of this Edward Garfield (or Gear-
field) quite full accounts come down to us, and curi-

28 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

ous searchers into the family history claim to have
discovered his Coat of Arms. If the following de-
scription of the family escutcheon be correct, as
claimed by those who have given the matter study,
it. goes far to confirm the previous conclusion that
the Garfields wei;e a martial family of wealth and in-
fluence in the days of Queen Elizabeth, and perhaps
in the Crusades. It had three horizontal bars of red
on a field, or background, of gold in the center of
the shield, and a red Maltese cross on an ermine can-
ton or corner piece. The crest consisted of a helmet
with the visor raised, and an uplifted arm holding a
drawn sword. For a motto were the words : " In
cruce vinco," (by the cross I conquer).

This Edward Garfield, from whom the present
large Garfield family in America has descended, ap-
pears to have taken no great pride in his lineage or
lordly titles, for he took a personal and laborious
share in the manual labor connected with the clearing:
of his land in Watertown, and left but a meager trace
)f his armorial badge. His house was built on a
beautiful spot in Watertown, overlooking the Charles
River, and the site is still pointed out to visitors,
near the railroad station of the Fitchburg railroad.
In this house he lived but a few years before he was
able to purchase a much larger estate in the western
part of Watertown, near the present location of the
Waltham town line. On this land he erected a capa-
cious mansion, and surrounded himself with all the
comforts and elegance of the " gentleman " of that
period; and the estate now known as the " Gov. Gore

OF GENERAL JAMES A- GARFIELD. 29

place," still holds its position as one of the most
beautiful and valuable estates in Massachusetts. Ed-
ward Garfield, Sr., had two sons, viz., Edward, Jr.,
and Samuel. The latter lived a bachelor's life, but
Edward, Jr., was a selectman three years, and mar-
ried a lady of Newton, Massachusetts, who died April
16, 166 J. She had, however, before her death, given
birth to three sons and two daughters, viz., Samuel,
the date of whose birth we cannot ascertain, but who
died November 20, 1684; Joseph, who was born
August 14, 163 1 ; Rebecca, who was born March 10,
1640; Benjamin, who was born in 1643, and died
November 28, 1717; and Abigail, who was born
June 29, 1646.

Benjamin Garfield, Edward, Jr.'s fourth child,
remained at home in the old mansion, and married
Mehitable Hawkins, in 1673. After the birth of two
children, viz., Benjamin and Benoni, she died De-
cember 9, 1675, and her gravestone is still standing
in the cemetery at Watertown. Benjamin married
Elizabeth Bridge, of Watertown, for his second wife,
January 17, 1677. By this second marriage there
were born to him Elizabeth, whose birth was June 30,
1679; Thomas, born December 12, 1680, and who
died in Weston, Mass., February, 1752; Anne, who
was born June 2, 1683 ; Abigail, who was born July
13, 1685 ; Mehitable, whose birth was December 7,
1687 ; Samuel, whose birth was September 3, 1690 ;
and Mary, who was born October 2, 1695.

Captain Benjamin Garfield, the father, was a dis-
tinguished citizen of Watertown, and was given 1

30 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

captain's commission by the Governor, in the Colonial
Militia. He held numerous town offices, and was
elected nine times to the Colonial Legislature. He
was a stout, broad-shouldered man, with an open,
cheerful countenance, and most affable and kind in
his manners. His light complexion, and especially
the light hair, appear to have descended to the pres-
ent generation.

It appears, from the old records, that Captain Gar-
field's house and barn were burned on the night of
March 29, 168-, by his negro servant, Joshua, and
on the night of April 9th, Joshua was discovered with
his throat cut, a knife clasped in his hand. He had,
perhaps, committed suicide out of remorse. In 1684
the captain's fence was burned by Christopher Thomp-
son, who was ordered to be sold into a neighboring
colony. Both of these were probably slaves.

His eldest son by his second wife, Lieut. Thomas
Garfield, was married to Mercy Bigelow, daughter
of Joshua and Elizabeth (Flagg) Bigelow, January 2,
1706, and he also made his home at the old home-
stead. At his cleath, the estate passed out of the
family. He appears to have inherited many of his
father's natural qualities, and to have won for himself
the esteem and friendship of the people of his town.
He was commissioned a Lieutenant in the Militia,
and saw active service in a campaign against the In-
dians. His wife died February 28, 1744. He died
February 4, 1752. They had twelve children, viz,,
Elizabeth, born August 10, 1708; Eunice, born Aug-
ust 23, 1 7 10; Thomas, Jr., March, 171 3, and who

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 3 1

died January 3, 1774; Thankful, born February 15,
1715; Isaac, born February 19, 1716; John, born
December 3, 1718; Samuel, born April 11, 1720;
Mercy, born June 17, 1722 ; Ann, born June 1. 1724;
Lucy, October 5, 1725 ; Elisha, November 11, 1728;
and Enoch, June 23, 1730.

Thomas Garfield, Jr., married Rebecca Johnson,
daughter of Samuel and Rebecca Johnson, of Lunen-
burg, Mass., and moved to Weston, and afterwards
to Lincoln, Mass., where he owned a large farm, and
where he died, January 3, 1774. Their children
were born as follows, viz., Solomon, July 18, 1743;
Rebecca, September 23, 1745 ; Abraham, April 3,
1748; Hannah, August 15, 1750; Lucy, March 3,

1754.
Solomon Garfield, the eldest son of Thomas, Jr.,

married Sarah Stimson, of Sudbury, May 20, 1766,
and soon after his marriage they moved to Worces
ter, Otsego County, N. Y., where he purchased a
farm. He was accidentally killed by falling from a
beam in his barn, in 1806. His children were
Thomas, Solomon, Rebecca, Hannah, and Lucy.

Solomon's brother Abraham was an earnest devo-
tee of American independence, and lived at Lincoln,
Massachusetts, when the Revolutionary war began.
He was^one of the first volunteers who enlisted hi
defense of the Colonies, and was in the fight at Con-
cord, and was side by side with the ancestors of many
illustrious Americans, including Judge E. Rockwood
Hoar of Massachusetts. The signature of Judge
Hoar's great-grandfather, John Hoar, and Abraham

32 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

Garfield are still preserved, and the curious docu-
ment they signed was an important matter in its
time.

At the beginning of the revolution, separation from
England was .not generally meditated, and it was
deemed important to endeavor to fix the responsi-
bility for the beginning of the conflict, showing
which side struck the first blow, in the event of a
settlement of the troubles. Therefore the affidavits
of many persons concerned were secured and pre-
served. Their deposition, showing how the attack
on Concord Bridge began, was as follows : —

Lexington, April 23, 1775.

We, John Hoar, John Whithead, Abraham Gar-
field, Benjamin Munroe, Isaac Parker, William Hos-
mer, John Adams, Gregory Stone, all of Lincoln, in
the County of Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay, all of
lawful age, do testify and say that, on Wednesday
last, we were assembled at Concord, in the morning
of said day, in consequence of information received
that a brigade of regular troops were on their
march to the said town of Concord, who had killed
six men at the town of Lexington ; about an hour
afterwards we saw them approaching, to the number,
as we apprehended, of about 1200, on which we re-
treated to a hill about 80 rods back, and the said
troops then took possession of the hill where we were
first posted ; presently after this, we saw the troops
moving toward the north bridge, about one mile from
the said Concord meeting-house ; we then immedi-
ately went before them and passed the bridge, just
before a party of them, to the number of about 200,
arrived ; they then left about one-half of their 200 at

OF GENERAL TAMES A. GARFIELD. 33

the bridge, and proceeded, with the rest, toward
Col. Barrett's, about two miles from the said bridge ;
and the troops that were stationed there, observing
our approach, marched back over the bridge and
then took up some of the planks ; we then hastened
our march toward the bridge, and when we had got
near the bridge, they fired on our men, first, three
guns, one after the other, and then a considerable
number more ; and then, and not before (having or-
ders from our commanding officer not to fire till we
were fired upon), we fired" upon the regulars and they
retreated. On their retreat through the town of
Lexington to Charlestown they ravaged and de-
stroyed private property and burnt three houses, one
barn, and one shop.

Signed by each of the above deponents.

Solomon was also a strong advocate of American
Independence, and met with a company on training-
day, but for some reason was not called into the militia.

Solomon's eldest son, Thomas Garfield, was
born in 1775, and lived a farmer's life at Worcester,
Otsego County, N. Y., and married Asenath Hill,
of Sharon, N. Y. Their children were Polly, Betsey,
Abram, and Thomas. Abram was named for his
patriotic uncle, who fought at Concord.

This Abram Garfield was the father of James A.
Garfield, the subject of this biography. Abram was
born December 28, 1799, at Worcester, Otsego County,
N. Y., and, as his father, Thomas Garfield, was an
industrious man, and not a wealthy farmer, he kept
Abram at close and hard labor during his early years.
Abram had but little opportunity for obtaining an
education, although naturally a gifted and thoughtful
3

34 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

man. The construction of the Erie Canal gave em-
ployment to a large number of people along the line
during the time of Abram's later youth and early
manhood; and the first money he was able to save, is
said to have been in connection with a job as a la-
borer on the Erie Canal.

When the Government decided to construct the
Ohio Canal, and thus open to communication with the
East the beautiful lands of Ohio, many people living
in the State of New York moved into Ohio, and
quite a number of the contractors and laborers who
had found employment on the Erie Canal, sought the
same opportunity on the Ohio Canal. Through the
influence of friends who had moved from Worcester
to Ohio, Abram Garfield and his half-brother, Amos
Boynton, secured an interest in a contract on the
Ohio Canal, and they went to Ohio when Abram
was twenty-one years old.

At the town of Perry, Muskingum County, Abram
met again with one of his old playmates, Miss Eliza
Ballou, who had accompanied her family to Perry a
year or two before. They had been confidential
friends in Worcester and the friendship of youth
ripened into the love of maturer years. Miss Ballou
is represented to have been an unusually attractive
young lady, petite, sprightly, and possessing the spirit
of tireless activity. Eliza and her sister Alpha were
such industrious, intelligent girls, as to cause the
" Ballou Sisters " to be held up by parents in the
neighborhood as examples of neatness and activity.

It appears that Abram and his half-brother Amos,

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 35

did not have a very easy courtship, so far as com-
municating or meeting with their sweethearts affected
their happiness, for their work was arduous, and their
abode much of the time away on the banks of the
unfilled canal. However, with but little capital and
less household furniture with which to begin life,
Abram married Eliza, and Amos married Alpha.

Abram and Eliza immediately after their marriage
m 18 19, removed to the town of Independence, Cuy-
ahoga County, Ohio, where Abram was engaged in
excavating for the canal. From the first day of their
marriage, Eliza entered upon the work of gaining a
livelihood with a will, and by weaving, knitting, keep-
ing as boarders th« workmen on the canal, she con-
tributed her full share to the gains of the partnership.
She inherited many of the noble qualities of her
ancestry; and the heroism of her brother. Tames Ballou,
in the war of 1812, or of that distinguished uncle, Ho-
«ea Ballou, in his controversy with his Baptist breth-
ren over his Universalist belief, was never greater
nor more worthy of respect than the ceaseless, and
good-natured self-sacrifice of their little niece on the
banks of the Ohio Canal. Many of the Ballou family
have held high positions. In New Hampshire where
the family first Settled, in Vermont to which one
branch early emigrated, and in Boston, where, as the
President of Tufts College, as the Editor of the
Universalist Magazine, as the preacher of sermons,
now classic, as the author of the History of the
Crusades, the editor of Ballou 's Pictorial, and The
Flag of our Union, and as the editor and founder of

36 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

the Boston Daily Globe, they have been known and
honored ; but neither the Ballou family, nor the In-
gails family, from whom they descended on their
mother's side, throughout all their scholarly ranks
can show a more lovable and admirable character
than that displayed by those remarkable sisters
Eliza and Alpha, in the wilds of Ohio.

But it is somewhat aside from the purpose of this
volume to give in lengthy detail the life of the pa-
rents and we turn with regret from a chapter that
may never be written. After the canal was com-
pleted at and near Independence, Abram moved
to Newburgh, a town which has since become a ward
of the city of Cleveland, Ohio. Meantime, there
were born to him three children, viz., Mehitable,
now Mrs. Trowbridge, of Solon, Ohio, Thomas, now
a farmer at Jamestown, Ottawa County, Michigan,
and Mary, now Mrs. Larabee, of Solon, Ohio, her
husband being a second cousin of General U. S.
Grant.

Those early years of their married life from 1819
to 1829 were full of unreraittent toil and hardship,
and after ten years of such self-denial, Abram and
Amos found themselves with a very meager sum on
hand for future capital. They had labored dili-
gently, they had saved scrupulously, they had availed
themselves of every known opportunity, yet the re-
sult of the decade's work was most unsatisfactory-
They had no home. Abram and Eliza had built air
castles, planned, discussed and dreamed of a home
in which they and their children could dwell in the

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 27

sweet retirement of domestic love and joy. Yet their
children were growing up without the sweet influ-
ences and hallowed associations which brighten the
life and sharpen the intellects of those who enjoy
the ownership of a country home, while the presence
of boarders and the objectionable people, who, for a
time, sought employment on the canal and congre-
gated at its terminus, made it almost imperative for
these upright, devoted parents to seek other associa-
tions for their children.

Just at that time, 1829, there was quite an excite-
ment over the advance in the prices of land in Ohio,
which very naturally turned the attention of the peo-
ple toward the purchase of wild land and toward the
desirability and profitableness of a farmer's life. With
a view to locating somewhere, and clearing a tract of
land for a farm, Abram with his half-brother Amos
made many excursions into the interior for the pur-
pose of selecting a site; and in the summer of 1829
they concluded a bargain for fifty acres of land for
each, at a cost of $2.00 per acre, and situated in the
township of Orange, about sixteen miles south-east of
Cleveland. It was a heavily wooded tract of land of
the "forest primeval," and it must have required a
very active and hopeful imagination to have foreseen
in the gloom of that silent woodland, a future farmer's
home, with waving fields of grain, cows feeding in
the pastures, and children sporting on a wide door-
yard lawn. Yet they were happy in such dreams;
and our history will begin by an account, in the next
chapter, of their removal to their forest home where
James was born.

38 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

CHAPTER II.

• THE OLD HOMESTEAD.

THE OPENING OF OHIO TO SETTLERS. — THE EARLY HABITATIONS. —
THE PRIMITIVE FORESTS. — WILD BEASTS. — APPEARANCE OF CLEVE-
LAND.— FERTILITY OF THE SOIL. — ABRAH GARFIELD AND HIS
WIFE. — EXCURSION OF THE BROTHERS INTO THE WOODS. — SELEC-
TION OF A HOME. — THE FIRST CLEARING. — SMALL QUARTERS. —
ARRIVAL OF THE BOYNTON FAMILY. — THE FIRST CABIN. — THE
REMOVAL OF THE GARFIELD FAMILY. — THE FOREST ROAD. — TWO
FAMILIES IN ONE. — JOY OF THE SISTERS. — NO PLACE LIKE ONE'S
OWN HOME. — THE GARFIELD LOG CABIN. — SETTLEMENTS OPENED
ABOUT THEM, — CLEARING THEIR FARM . — THE SCHOOL-HOUSE.

Ohio, as early as 1803, had taken her place
among the States of the nation, and the " Western
Reserve" lands, belonging to the State of Connec-
ticut, had been nearly all sold to settlers and speculat-
ors when Cleveland was incorporated as a village, in
18 14. But the State had not, as late as 1828, as-
sumed that thrifty and mature appearance which to-
day reminds the traveler so forcibly of that New
England from whence so many of the people came.
The tracts of land which had been cleared had not
parted with their primitive stumps, and the towns
were composed largely of log houses, or low, one-
story wooden dwellings, put up in the cheapest and
most hasty manner, as if for a mere temporary stop-
ping place, to be occupied but for a few weeks.
There were vast forests still untouched in which the

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 39

bears, deer, raccoons and foxes still found hiding
places ; and there were prairies still unbroken, where
the wildest and fiercest of wolves secreted them-
selves by day and howled hideously by night
Cleveland, now such a stately, populous city, with a
shipping that equals many old seaports of the Atlan-
tic, was, in 1828-9, a village with several small
stores, and three or four diminutive churches. The
highways wete few and most rudely graded, and it
was not an uncommon thing to hear of settlers
whose little cabins were twenty miles from any pas-
sable highway; in which case, they worked their
way across the country to the public road as best
they could, choosing their own route. The Indians
had not been so completely exterminated by General
Wayne as to be altogether unknown, and Indian
squaws and Indian hunters were frequently met in the
forests and seen begging at the cabin doors in the
clearings. It seems hardly credible that within the
memory of men and women living, such a condition
of things existed in that Ohio, which to-day is so
stable, so dignified, so enterprising in all the arts of
this progressive age, having the appearance of cen-
turies of civilization.

But one cannot trust to his eyes in a country like
this. Ohio possessed a soil so surcharged with veg-
etable life, that the grains of civilization felt instant
ly its vivifying touch, and leaped like intelligent be-
ings into luxuriant maturity, and danced as they
ripened in the breezes of the lakes.

To clear the forests, to break up the prairie, tc

40 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

construct the canals, railroads, highways, dwellings,
barns, fences, and sow the grain, was at first a task
that required strong arms, persevering minds, and
fearless spirits. Ohio had many of them in 1828.
But the equal of any man, and the superior of many
was Abrara Garfield, He was large, robust, of light
complexion, auburn hair and with a high forehead.
Physically, he was one of the strongest men in Ohio.
He seldom met his equal in feats of physical strength;
and if there was found any huge boulder, or large
log which the men on the canal or in the woods
could not handle, they called for " Abe Garfield," and
the obstruction was removed. He was a fearless,
frank, energetic man, less rude than the majority of
his associates, and giving the heartiest expressions
of his love for his family, and his good will toward
his neighbors.

Such was the man, who, with his younger half-
brother, Amos Boynton, went into the wilderness of
Cuyahoga County, Ohio, to clear a spot for their
homes. Their land was two miles and a half from
the nearest open road, and they were obliged to cut
the way for their ox team through the underbrush,
and to build a rude hut to occupy at night. It is
said the two young pioneers shook hands as they
took the axes to fell the first tree on the line be-
tween their lands, and said they would live and die
together there. They had never owned a foot of
land before. This was their own. Wolves might
howl, and bears might threaten, they were happy in
the consciousness of superior strength and right.

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 41

The forest steadily and surely melted away before
the vigorous woodsmen, and the proper logs having
been saved from fire and axe for the purpose, the
work of constructing a log house for Amos was be-
gun. They had no thought of pride then, and but
little of convenience; but, influenced by the over-
mastering desire to get a home of their own as soon
as possible, they constructed a building which was
said afterwards to be too small for a convenient loom
house.

A few days after their first arrival, Amos con-
cluded to bring his family and lodge them in a log
shed or weaving-cabin belonging to their nearest
neighbor, about a mile and a half from their clearing.
So the family were brought and stowed away in that
little cabin, scarcely twelve feet square, and there
on the ground they set their rude furniture and
waited day by day for the completion of their new
home. One child, Mr. Henry B. Boynton, was born
in that little structure.

When the cabin for Amos was covered, and a floor
laid in one end of it for the beds, Amos moved his
family in, and, according to the previous understand-
ing, Abram wenttoNewburghfor his family. It was
New Year's day, 1830. There was a heavy fall of
snow, and in the clearings it had drifted badly. He
was obliged to unyoke the oxen often, and drive
them wallowing over a ravine, and returning drag the
rude ox sled himself through the snow. The road
had improved somewhat before his return, but what
was gained in more solid snow banks, was lost in be-

42 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

ing heavily loaded with his household goods and fam-
ily. That trip from Newburgh to their clearing in
Orange away back in January, 1830, Mrs. Garfield
never has forgotten, notwithstanding the subsequent
bitter and dangerous experiences. The oldest boy,
Thomas, was then nine or ten years of age, and, in-
heriting his father's hardy qualities, gave considera-
ble assistance. But it was a long, weird, cold and
exciting journey through an almost unbroken forest,
on a road such as the woodmen now would consider
to be unfit and unsafe for the transportation of
wood.

Yet the whole family, with a feeling akin to that
the traveler on the ocean feels when longing for
land, looked forward with joyful anticipation to the
establishment of a home and the erection of those
household gods with which all childhood homes
abound.

It was a joyful meeting at the log hut there in the
woods. Two brothers, two sisters and their fami-
lies, with the one distant neighbor, were to be a com-
munity, a State, a law unto themselves, and they de-
termined that love should abolish the need of law.
Rough in manners, some of them might have been,
and probably were; uncouthly dressed, perhaps, if
judged by the standards of the Boulevards or Broad-
way, rough hands there must have been; but the
great hearts and strong brains which make nobles
of the laborers, and found great nations, were there
also.

"Is this your house. Uncle Amos?" asked the
children.

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 43

" Yes, and yours, too, for a while," said Amos.

Mrs. Garfield is said to have been delighted with
the consciousness that she could stand on their own
soil.

"Is this our own land, Abram?" said she. "I
cannot realize it"

Years afterward, and even to this day, the sisters
visit frequently the spot where first they set foot on
their own land, and each lives over again the sensa-
tions of those good old days. So frequently did
Alpha visit the place where she first stopped and
asked : " Amos, is this our land ? " and so sacred did
she hold it, that the children gave it the name of
" Mother's retreat," and always scrupulously left her
to herself whenever they saw her put on her bonnet
and start in the direction of the place. Births, mar-
riages, deaths, have come since then. The strong
men are laid low, the children are scattered, and the
trees have been cleared away and grown again, but
the two women live to visit their sacred " retreats,''
and to recite the tales of their early adventures in
the ears of a wondering generation.

When the two families were safely packed away in
the little cabin with one room and one fire-place, the
brothers began the construction of Abram's house.

They selected a spot about forty rods from the
other cabin, and on an elevated mound, behind which
was a little ravine and a diminutive streamlet. A
short distance down the ravine was a living spring,
which was found aftexward to be a most convenient
and valuable household appendage.

44 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

There, with the ox team for the transportation of
timber from the adjacent forest, and with their own
natural Yankee skill to hew it, and their own strong
arms to raise it, they constructed the old log cabin,
without a " raising," and, as Amos always took pride
in adding, " without whiskey."

This log house was nearly square, with the front
door in the middle, and the windows, about two feet
square, in each end. It was ready for occupancy in
the early spring, and in time to sow the front yard
with wheat. During the summer other cabins were
erected within a circuit of a mile and a half, so that
they did not long feel the weight of an almost com-
plete isolation. It required the closest management
for the new farmer to secure a livelihood through the
months preceding the sale of the first crop, and no lit-
tle watching to keep his family from the wolves and
from the possible visits of fiercer beasts. But all
seem to have willingly endured all the privations of
poverty and isolation with cheerfulness, often making
jokes of their greatest hardships. The brothers often
exchanged work, and so together cleared the fields
of stumps, constructed fences, and set out fruit trees.
Such saplings, seeds, or stock as they needed, one
or the other procured at Cleveland. So that at the
close of the autumn of 1830 both farms were in a
prospeious condition, giving promise of rich harvests
in the year to come.

Other relatives, and many of his former acquaint-
ances, purchased tracts of land in the county and in
adjoining counties, and the three years which fol-

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 45

lowed Abram's removal to his new home saw many
clearings and improvements made in that whole
region. His fifty-acre tract of land underwent a
complete transformation. Early and late he toiled
with the oxen ; and such a share did those beasts of
burden have in the establishment and improvement
of his home that Abram regarded them with affec-
tionate fondness, and treated them with the most
friendly and patient consideration.

It was a grand thing to see the forest and wild-
wood give place to the garden of vegetables, the
fields of grain, and the orchards of apples. Abram
and Eliza appreciated the wonderful change. Those
were their sweetest, best days, when they watched
for the sprouts of corn and wheat with the eagerness
and innocence of children, when the whole family
joined in the gathering of the harvest, or when about
the roaring winter fire they sat and talked of the
past or planned for the future.

Soon a log school-house was constructed, across
the ravine at the back of Abram's house, and at one
corner of his clearing. This furnished a means of
education for their children, and Abram and Eliza
were happy.

-

4.6 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES .

CHAPTER III.

BIRTH OF JAMES AND DEATH OF HIS FATHER.

BIRTH OF JAMBS. — THB FOURTH CHILD IN THB FAMILY. — REJOICING*.
— HUMBLE SURROUNDINGS. — NAMBD AFTER HIS UNCLE AND HIS
FATHER. — DEATH OF HIS FATHER. — THE EFFECT OF THAT
CALAMITY. — THE SYMFATHY OF THE NEIGHBORS. — IN DEBT. —
WIDOW ADVISED TO GIVE AWAY HER CHILDREN. — ATTEMPTING TO
SAVE THE HOME. — FINISHING THE RAIL FENCE. — INDUSTRY OF
THOMAS. — HIS SELF-SACRIFICE. — OCCUPATIONS OF THE WIDOW. —
HER LOVE FOR READING. — TEACHING LITTLE JAMES.

November 19, 183 1, nearly two years after Abram
had taken his family to their new home at Orange,
the household was made happier by the birth of an-
other son. Yet, so far as the child was concerned,
it cannot be said to be a very auspicious beginning
of life. It had "been a difficult task to feed the chil-
dren already in the family. The gloomy log cabin,
made more shadowy by the attempts to shut out the
cold winds of November, could not be said to be an
augury of future brightness. The crying of a child
within the humble abode, and the barking of wolves
in the woodland near at hand, suggest nothing unu-
sual, prophetic, or propitious. Such circumstances
have surrounded the birth of many men, and will
attend the nativity of many more. These circum-
stances neither make nor unmake men. But they do
present the encouraging thought that if, from such

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 47

humble beginnings, a useful life may be made, then
there are none so poor and humble but they may
improve their condition and become benefactors.

Yet the infant was welcomed heartily by his large-
hearted father, and his appearance was made the
occasion for congratulations among all the neigh-
bors. For in the woods then, there were loving and
honest neighborly sympathy and interest in each
other's welfare, which the non-conducting brick walls
of a city prevent or destroy. Then, if a person died
within twenty miles, all the farmers, in sincere sym-
pathy, left their work, and appeared at the sad rites.
If there was a birth or marriage all rejoiced. If
there was a " raising," where help was needed, all
were there. Children of the cities often grow up
be narrow, useless, weakly men and women, for the
lack of this wholesome large-hearted spirit which
nature and freedom impart

When the time came to name the baby, he was
given the name of James Abram, the first being
that of his uncle in his mother's family, and -the
last being that of his father. There could have been
none of those poetic high hopes of the child's future
greatness on the part of his parents, which we often
find mentioned in biographical works, or they would
have selected some other name than James, which
in that region was simply a suggestion to call him
"Jim." Neither his father nor his mother had any
loftier hopes than that he would become an honest
man and a good citizen.

But when the child was about a year and a half

48 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

old an event happened which suddenly left the fam«
ily in the greatest gloom.

Abram Garfield had been fighting fire. From sev-
eral heaps of burning brush, a conflagration had
spread to his fences, woodland, and fields, and
threatened destruction to everything around. In
the contest, which lasted for many hours, the strong
man became so heated and fatigued, that he eagerly
sought the shade and breeze of his cabin doorway.
He had been warned of the danger that lurked in
cold drafts of air, but, trusting in his robust health
and past escapes, sat in the draft and fanned himself
with his hat. It was a fatal mistake. For in three
days the husband and father lay in the log cabin a
corpse. Who can imagine the shock to the wife and
mother? So unexpected and so terrible. The neigh-
bors could not for a while credit the rumor that
Abram Garfield was dead. He had been the most
certain of a long life, of any man they knew. Could
it be that Abram Garfield had actually died of
disease ?

To the widow it was for a while a paralyzing
shock, which she could not comprehend. But when
little James, just toddling about and beginning to
speak whole words, pulled at the sheets of his
father's bier, as the body lay on the boards across
two chairs, and piteously called for his papa, she
must have felt the keenest agony. The other chil-
dren, Thomas, Mehitable, and Mary, were older, and
could understand what death meant. But little
Jimmy would not be quiet while his papa slept such

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 49

an unusual sleep. He could read in the sorrowful
faces and sobs of all about him that something sad
had happened; so from one to another the baby
wandered, with his large eyes filled with tears, touch-
ingly and hesitatingly saying to each, " Papa."

" What a pity," said one, " that such a helpless
little child should be left fatherless ! "

" His mother cannot support him," said another ; '
u at all events, some of the children will have to be
given away or bound out."

" She must sell the farm at once," said a third,
"for there is no one now to complete the fences nor
cultivate the farm. Poor soul ! This will kill her ! "

Vet the sorrowing woman did have one comfort
Her husband was loved by all and she had deep and
hearty human sympathy. Have you ever been poor
and imprisoned in a great city, with the body of a
child, or wife, or husband, or a mother, or a father
lying in death in your front room ? Have you ever
in your grief glanced at the passing crowds, and
longed for one look of sympathy? Have you ever
wished that your next neighbor would stop the piano,
or his loud, careless laughter, or quiet his noisy chil-
dren at play about your door? Did not the per-
sistent calls of traders, market men and beggars har-
row up your stricken soul and cover your cheeks
with the hot tears of unutterable woe? Like the
" Ancient Mariner's " surfeit of water with none to
drink, you sat wretched and lone, friendless and un-
noticed in your sorrow, while around you an ocean
of humanity surged and rolled, wasting its super-

50 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

abundance of sympathy on poodle pets and hardened
criminals ; and caring not if the dirty gamins in the
gutters pelted your meager funeral procession with
sticks and stones.

If you have experienced this not uncommon woe,
your heart will bless those Ohio pioneers, whose
children whispered about their doors and hushed
their voices in the plays of school recess, saying,
" Poor Jimmy's father is dead," you will have a sincere
yearning for their friendship, as you hear how the
hardy plowmen came from many miles away, and
with tears coursing their rough cheeks, offered
consolation and help. All mourned in sincerity, all
remembered the widow and the fatherless in ttiat
hour of trial.

The funeral which soon followed was unostenta-
tious and simple, but called out a large attendance of
friends and neighbors. Little Jimmy was the re-
cipient of many a sad caress on that occasion, and
tears freely flowed at the sight of his helplessness
and artlessness, from fountains which even the pres.
ence of the stricken widow had not unloosed.

In that same year Sir Henry Taylor wrote "The
world knows nothing of its greatest men," and his
true saying would have been a wiser one had it
passed into literature that "The world knows nothing
of its greatest women." The situation in which
Eliza Garfield was left, was peculiarly disheartening
because she was a woman. To a man, with physical
strength, with opportunities for gain, with power to
compel respect for himself and his children, the cir-

OF GENERAL JAMES A*. GARFIELD. 51

curastances which follow the death of a consort are
not so appalling. But the utter despair which must
have filled that widow's heart, when with her father-
less little ones she entered alone their log home after
the burial, cannot be known to those who have not
had a like sorrow. The phantoms which his pres-
ence had kept aloof from their cabin, the- shadows
which his face had ever dispelled, came boldly in at
the door, and lurked in the corners at the approach
of every evening. The farm was not fully fenced.
The stock was not paid for, and the orchard of trees
which Abram had planted had not reached its fruit-
age. There was but a meager stock of provisions or
clothing on hand, and the crop whickhad been sowed,
she seemed helpless to gather. The reader may say
that there is nothing very uncommon in their situa-
tion, and may say that other women have been in
even worse circumstances; but such facts do not
make this experience any the less interesting, nor
these evidences of womanly heroism any the less
striking. If she sold all their personal property to
pay the debts, she must still leave some unpaid. To
the men of business, there seemed no way but to sell
the farm and everything of personal property con-
nected with it, put the children out into families
where they could be adopted, or be made to pay their
way doing errands and light work, while she could
probably support herself by weaving, or by house-
hold labor in the families of those who knew her.

It does not appear that the brave woman ever
entertained the thought of following their advice.

52 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

Her love was too strong, her capabilities for self-
sacrifice too great to admit of a separation without a
struggle to maintain her family. In her resolution
she had the sympathy of every one, even of such as
looked upon it as a foolhardy undertaking.

In order to pay the outstanding debts, she con-
cluded to sell a part of the little farm and finally
disposed of twenty acres, for a sum which left her
thirty acres and two cows, free of debt. The dimen-
sions were reduced but it was still their home.

Thomas was a robust and active boy, and appears
to have taken hold of labor with a heroic devoted-
ness worthy of his mother. It is said that he and
his mother actually attempted to complete the unfin-
ished rail fence along one side of their farm, but she
was too light and small to be of much use at a man's
work of driving stakes or splitting rails. Yet the
attempt shows the determined and independent
spirit with which she took upon herself the office of
father in addition to that of mother. With the help
of kind neighbors and her brother-in-law, Amos,
who was still her nearest neighbor, the first crop was
gathered, and odd jobs of employment found for
Thomas. Living on the plainest food, wearing the
coarsest clothing, and denying themselves every
luxury, the little family struggled on from day to day
managing so as to keep out of debt and retain their
hold on their home. Mrs. Garfield sought employ-
ment for herself among the people of that vicinity,
and appears to have earned considerable in spinning,
weaving and knitting, at which she was an expert

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 53

While she was engaged at work, little Jimmy was
left in the care of the girls, or, in case the girls also
found some work, he was left with the family of his
Uncle Amos. She occasionally had an opportunity
of letting a few acres of her land to be cultivated on
shares, and secured some of her firewood in that
way, while the remainder was brought in by herself
and children by hand from the borders of the wood-
land.

Of Thomas, whose industry as a boy, and whose
self-denying faithfulness to his mother in her needs
was remarkable, the people still retain most
praiseworthy traditions. Whenever he could work
extra hours and earn a few pennies more, he never
neglected the opportunity, and always with most
touching indications of joy carried home to his
mother with alacrity every cent of his earnings. He
seemed never to have thought that he was entitled to
any share of it for amusement or luxury. It is still
related of him, how he walked to Cleveland and back
on an errand, saving the small cost of a horse, with a
determination to " get money enough extra to buy
Jimmy a pair of shoes," so that the little fellow could
go to " the Sunday meetings in the School-House."
However, the clothing for the family was usually
secured by Mrs. Garfield in exchange for her work.
When shoes became a necessity she would weave or
sew for the shoemaker, and he would come to her
cabin and make the shoes on the spot and fit them
as he put them together.

Yet it seems that amid all this excessive labor and

54 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

mental strain, Mrs. Garfield found time to read papers
and books such as the neighborhood contained. Her
Sabbaths, doubly sacred for the gathering of her
family about her, were also improved by her in read-
ing, and often she read aloud to the children. In
this way, no doubt, young James gained that first
love for books which afterwards led him into the
higher walks of life.

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 55

CHAPTER IV.

HABITS AND INCIDENTS OF HIS BOYHOOD.

MOT PRECOCIOUS. — HIS FLATS. — HIS GARDEN. — THK petted YOUNG-
EST CHILD. — HIS EARLY TASKS. — ABSENCE OF A FATHER'S DISCI-
PLINE.— HIS ABSOLUTE TRUTHFULNESS. — COULD KOT LIB TO HIS
MOTHER. — ASHAMED TO BE CALLED A COWARD. — HIS UNCLE
AMOS. — WHOLESOME FEAB. — LOVE OF POETKT. — NAMES THE
TBEES AND ROCKS AFTER HEROES AND HEROINES. — THE APPLE
ORCHARD. — AMBITION TO BE A SAILOR. — CARELESS USE OF TOOLS.
— READING AT HOME. — COUNTRY LYCEUM. — MOTHER'S WATCH-
CARE.

.The boyhood of James is interesting and encoura-
ging to the youth of our land, inasmuch as it lacks
those extraordinary and unusual features which
would adorn a romance or a fable. It was so much
like the life of many other boys, and so little varied
from the common experience, that it shows the pos-
sibility that goodness, greatness and fame are within
the reach of many other poor country lads. The
hardihood and intelligence of his mother may have
contained a blessing which is exceptional in such
circumstances ; but the life he led in his earlier
years was, in its daily routine, very similar to that of
other fatherless farmers' boys. He brought in at
night the wood for the morning fire ; his bare feet
made solid the often trodden path down to the

56 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

spring; and he was not unusually precocious in his
desire for knowledge or in his willingness to work.

He constructed mud dams and set up rude toy mills
at the little stream in the ravine below the spring.
He sought out the shady nooks in the near wood-
land for summer shade, and made caves in the wood-
pile in winter, to secure a sheltered playhouse. He
planted his little garden in the spring, and often lost
his interest in it after the wonderful resurrection of
the beans and cucumbers had ceased to astonish
him. He was the pet of his mother and the pride
of his brother and sisters, but poverty prevented
anything like a dangerous indulgence. Yet its
tendency was to make him less inclined to work
either in school or in the field. But he often entered
into the sports of the boys in the neighborhood with
enthusiasm, -and sometimes with unhealthy zeal. If
he was given a job of work to do, and a certain time
was allotted him in which to perform the task, his
whole soul engaged in the work, and the job was
pushed to completion with startling vigor.

His early life lacked, however, that energy and
promptness which is ever the result when a boy loses
the discipline of a father's presence and example. It
is a surprise that he was so active. Many boys have
been led away into laziness and its consequent vices
and crimes, for the lack of a father's stern and digni-
fied commands.

But there was one feature of little James's charac-
ter which will account for his final triumph under all
these discouraging circumstances of his life. His

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. $7

mother's training, his inherited disposition, and the
habits of the rather remarkably religious neighbor-
hood of Orange at that time, kept his boyhood life in
the way of the most scrupulous truthfulness. He
did not and would not lie. While that anchor held,
his character and future were safe. No boy or man
can be selfish, self-indulgent, or lazy, without being
dishonest. He cannot steal, nor cheat, nor play
truant, nor indulge in vicious habits, unless he will
lie. Absolute truthfulness and a useless or vicious
life are incompatible and impossible.

A traditional incident, illustrating his love of
truth, is related of him, which may or may not be
exact in its details, yet which is an apt illustration
of his whole character in that early day. His uncle,
Thomas Garfield, lived three or four miles from his
mother's house, and the road led through a lonely
country, a part of which was thickly wooded. It
often happened that he was sent on errands, to and
fro, over this road. One evening, while he was at
his uncle's, there came up a sudden shower which
turned into a storm, and darkness came on suddenly.
He had probably heard the usual ghost and Indian
stories which terrified the youth of his time and was
somewhat timid. He disliked to traverse the road
alone in the night, yet he felt that he must go home.
His cousins and aunt tried to persuade him to stay
all night, but he would not He started boldly out
into the night It was wet, cold, and pitchy dark.
The wind groaned among the maples, and the great
beech trees cracked and creaked ominously. It was

58 THE LIFE, SPEECHES AND PUBLIC SERVICES

too much for his boyish courage, and, after going a
half mile, he turned back.

But on reaching his uncle's house he felt ashamed
of his weakness and determined to start again.

** I would not try it again, James," said a work-
man.

" But mother will worry about me," said the little
fellow.

" O stay all night, and ttll her the mud was too
deep to get home," said the workman.

" I shall not tell her that, and I won't tell her I
was afraid," said James. And off he started a second
time. This time he went bravely through the dark
woods to his home, and it may be that his mother
never knew how much he endured that night rather
than tell her a falsehood or confess that he was
afraid.

That tradition is in accord with many others and
shows that truthfulness requires a brave spirit and a
self-sacrificing life. The truth was his good angel.
It kept him from everything which he would be
ashamed to confess. It overcame his indisposition
to labor. It guided him safely over the dangerous
bar of a petted boyhood. Inasmuch as he was more
true in his speech and actions than other boys, just
that much was his boyhood nobler and more promis-
ing than theirs, and no more. In all other things he
was like the multitude. The determination and habit
of speaking the simple truth was a badge of honor,
more honorable and more respected than the kingly
ermine on the heraldic shields of his ancestors.

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 59

Wild and rough oftentimes, rude in his sports
and awkward in the presence of visitors, often in
rags and dust he had carelessly made, with no other
title or claim to respect and no other capital to begin
life upon, he found in his truth-telling an infallible
guide to nobility and human greatness. This was
the only very remarkable thing about his young life,
and we shall see how curiously and surely it guided
him upward.

Romances have been constructed about the boy-
hood of James, in which he has figured as the heroic
representative of Ohio boys. But the dress of fiction
adds nothing to the moral of his noble life. He was
no more of a hero, loved his books no better, enjoyed
hard labor no more than the hardy boys of his neigh-
borhood. There was nothing in his boyhood, save
that single characteristic of honesty in speech, which
could be said to be indicative of superior gifts.

Fortunately for James, his uncle, Amos Boynton,
had a heart broad enough to take in more than his
own family ; and the uncle's example, precepts and
threats were most efficacious in keeping the children
of the Garfield family decorous and respectful. James
was not always good-natured nor always in the mood
for immediate obedience to his mother's commands.
But when he was inclined to mischief or willfulness,
his mother had but to say, " I will tell Uncle Amos,"
and he was as meek as the lambs.

Uncle Amos was a valuable man in the commu-
nity, and appears to have had, in his eccentric way,
a most excellent influence over the young people of

60 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

Orange township. He was a devoted member of th*
Disciples' Church, loved the Bible, and despised lazy
or dishonest people. He took an active part in or-
ganizing and sustaining local lyceum debates among
the young men at the school-houses. The singing-
schools, spelling matches, out-door games, and re-
ligious gatherings had his personal assistance, and
his encouragement and advice had a great influence
with James, who stood in most reverential awe of his
uncle.

His early school-days were not remarkably brill-
iant, nor did he particularly distinguish himself at
that time, in any direction, beyond the majority of
his school-fellows. He possessed a good memory,
and made reasonable progress in such rudiments as
were taught in the log school-houses of that time.
He loved to hear his mother read poetry, and com-
mitted many verses to memory. His nature was
poetical, and he loved to wander alone in the fields
and woods, and in imagination act the part of some
of the poetical characters of which he had heard.
When he was old enough to read story books for
himself, he found, somewhere, the " Pirates, Own
Book," "Tales of the Sea," " Indian Stories," and
other kindred volumes, in which he seems to have
been greatly interested. Pet calves and sheep were
named by him after some favorite hero or heroine
mentioned in romance, and even the rocks and high-
lands came in for a share in the titles of nobility he
conferred.

The apple orchard of one hundred trees, which

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 6l

his father planted and which had already spread
wide its fruitful branches, and in the shade of which
he passed the happiest days of his boyhood, was to
his active imagination an army of warriors, or a host
of Indians. Every tree soon had its name by which
it was known, not only to him, but to all his play
mates in the neighborhood. Each tree was namea
after some noted Indian warrior, or after some old
saint ; or, as was occasionally the case, for the lack
of other names, he applied those of neighbors,
preachers and school teachers. He appears to have
felt no lonesomeness when left to himself, but was
able to imagine the presence of others with him, or
himself to be in some distant and attractive place,
and " was never less alone than when by himself!"

Very early in his life some story of the sea awak-
ened his keen interest in the sailors' lives, and he
formed many plans concerning a visit to the great
ocean, to be carried out when he should become a
man. He dreamed of the surging billows and longed
for a sight of the white-fringed breakers. He would
some day be a sailor. He would climb to the top of
the masts. He would one day command a man-of-
war. He would fight battles and win victories on
every ocean and sea. He was often overheard re-
peating the commands of the heroic captains, about
whom he had read, and with a stern and loud voice
he often bade his imaginary men to " clear the deck
for action."

He early imbibed a love for the Bible, which he
found was always his mother's dearest companion.

62 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

Its warriors, prophets, saints and apostles were char-
acters as real and familiar to his active imagination
as were the people he had actually r:iet. In his
work and at his play he saw and felt more than some
other boys, because of this power to call about him
imaginary characters.

It may have been this hat it of thinking on distant
things that caused him, as a workman, to meet with
so many accidents.

He found much comfort in the society of a little
black dog, which seemed to understand the language
and wishes of James, like a human being. The dog
was considered a wonder by the other boys. For
several years the little creature was seen with James
at all his work, whether chopping wood, riding the
horses for the plow, or going to the pastures for the
neighbors' cows.

To all the beasts of the farm he was a kind and
patient instructor, teaching them many curious and
useful things. In all this he was, however, under
his mother's careful oversight, and most faithfully
did she watch over the " four saplings," of which
James was the youngest, and which her husband, on
his death-bed, had said he must leave to her care.
For him she felt and exhibited that special solicitude
which mothers usually feel for their youngest child.
She was determined that he should avail himself of
the school privileges during the few winter months
in which it was held, and she labored very hard to
supply him with the necessary clothes and books.
The teachers of the school parted with Mrs. Garfield

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELU. 63

in the spring with great reluctance, for the school-
house being on one corner of her farm, they were
often obliged to seek favors from her, and thus be-
came familiar friends. At no place in all the district
was the teacher more welcome than at Mrs. Garfield's
cabin, and although the loft in her home was perhaps
more lonely, and the bed less easy than many others,
they were glad when the time came in their " board-
ing around," to go to her abode. Many years after-
wards they told of her love for learning, and of her
desire that her children should have a thorough
education.

James was favored with opportunities for reading
which the other members of that industrious family
did not get. It was usually accidental, however.
He was a careless, awkward boy in the use of tools
in his work, and was often laid up by self-inflicted
wounds. He cut his feet with his axe or scythe.
He wrenched his back by the fall of a fence rail
upon him. He fell from the barn upon a pile of
wood. So that while he was not perhaps more care
less or awkward than boys of his age usually are, yet
he was more often confined to the house as a result
of accidents, and the hours of his retirement he
most earnestly employed in studying all the books
they had in the house, and all he could borrow of
the neighbors. It was to his credit that he used his
books with great care, and any neighbor was willing
to intrust their volumes to him. His neighbors say
that he learned much more in his early days by read-
ing history and studying stories of scientific discov-

64 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

cry out of school than he ever gained from teachers.
He was greatly interested in the debates and literary
exercises which were often held on winter evenings
at the school-house ; and it is said that, as a critic,
he was dreaded by some of the old men before he
was ten years of age.

In 1842, when he was about eleven years old, the
boys in Orange, by the advice of " Uncle Amos,"
organized a lyceum of their own, and it was the first
place of the kind in which James ever ventured to
speak.

His speech was not preserved, even in tradition
But the speech of the last disputant has never ceased
to be a funny circumstance in the minds of the old
people who heard of it at the time. The subject for
discussion contained a clause in which it was resolved
that navigation was of superior importance to some
other branch of human industry. The young orator
" supposed a case " where a meal of victuals awaited
a hungry, drunken man, but he could not get to them.
" Now," said the speaker, " that man is too drunk to
navigate himself. He will have no supper. Now,
of what use are all the beans, potatoes, sausages,
pork and doughnuts to a man who can't navigate?"
That speech was conclusive, and by a unanimous
vote it was seriously declared that it was of the high-
est importance that men be able " to navigate."

These debates quickened James's desire for read-
ing, and in less than two years he had read and re-
membered so much concerning the current topics of
lyceum debates that he successfully held his own as

OP GENERAL JAMES A. 3ARFIELD. 65

a " principal " debater with the old -men. Those
evenings at the lyceum were the happiest, perhaps,
in his youthful life. It was an escape for an hour or
two from his hard and incessant toil. It was a place
where he knew his mother was proud of him, and
where even " Uncle Amos " was inclined to be
more sparing of his critical suggestions than usual.
It was the opening of a new life to the poor boy, and
was suggestive of possible achievements which, until
then, he had considered wholly beyond his reach.
How many of our American statesmen can trace the
beginning of their career to the lyceum in the coun-
try school-house ! On the popularity of that humble
and- crude institution, the safety of the nation has
often rested.

During his training in those evening schools of
debate, he searched the neighborhood and drew upon
distant relatives for books and papers. He put his
soul into the work ; and with an eager longing looked
forward to each debate with ever increasing interest.

There was a high ledge of broken rocks in the
woods, about a quarter of a mile from his home,
where one large shaft of rock rose considerably above
its larger neighbors. To the top of that rock James
used often to climb, and from its summit deliver to
the rocks and trees around his prepared addresses
or impromptu harangues. The trees and stones were
an audience to him, and in his imagination they list-
ened, sighed, and applauded, as, with excited tones,
he approached his peroration. He called that rock
his pulpit ; and never in the sacred desk or in the halls

66 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

of the national councils found he a place in which
there seemed to him such necessity for dignity, for
grammatical accuracy, or for stirring illustration, as
on that forest rostrum among the aged maples. Where
will the American country youths find another such
an audience as they saw in the waving corn, the rows
of potatoes, the forest trees, or the astonished herds,
in those youthful days when the spirit of oratory
first touched their lips with its inspiring fire ?

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 67

CHAPTER V.

YOUTHFUL OCCUPATIONS.

EARLY MATURITY. — BOILING SALTS. — A HA5'S WORK AT HAB V ISTDfO

— AMBITION TOBIA CARPENTER. — SELE-8ACRrPTCES OF THOMAS.

— THE HIW FRAME HOUSE AT ORANGE. — LEARNING THE TRADE.

— OCT OF WORK. — CHOPPING WOOD. — WISHES TO BE A SAILOR. —
VISITS A SHIP AT CLEVELAND. — ABANDONS THE IDEA OP BEING A
BAILOR. — FD)fD8 EMPLOYMENT ON THE OHIO CANAL. — A DRIVER
EOT. — FEVER AND AGUE. —A QUARREL. — AN ACCIDENT. — GOES
HOME TO HIS MOTHER.

The years of 1844 and 1845 included a period of
great uncertainty with James. His hard work and
the needs of life, felt by him unusually early, had
given to his mind a somewhat premature develop-
ment. He possessed a tough, awkward body, and
features which were not very prepossessing. But his
mind was bright and mature. He labored very hard.
For a few months he found employment in " boiling
salts," which, in that early day, was made moder-
ately profitable by the presence of immense quanti-
ties of ashes left in the clearings. The process of
leaching the ashes and extracting the salts by boiling
the liquid was a very dirty and unpleasant business.

The boy was often as black with soot as the follow-
ers of the kindred trade of charcoal burning, and his
clothing was heavy with ashes and smoke. In this,
as in every other undertaking, he was determined to

68 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

excel, and began early in the morning and worked
late at night. Another portion of that period he
spent in chopping wood, being paid by the cord. In
this he did a mature man's work, and received,
for the first time, a man's wages. He also en-
gaged himself in harvesting, and swung the scythe
through the grass, the sickle in the grain, and the
rake over the meadow, the equal of the eldest. But
the work was so exhausting that he often heartily
wished that he could see some other way of securing
an honest living.

One day he saw a carpenter, with saw and chisel,
at work framing a barn, and it occurred to him that
the trade of a carpenter would suit him better than
the ceaseless drudgery of a pioneer farmer's life.
He had shown some adaptability for that trade in
the repairs he had from time to time made on his
mother's house and barn, and in the toys which he
had ingeniously constructed. On consulting with
his mother, he decided to learn the carpenter's trade.
But no opportunity presented itself just at that time,
and he worked on in his heavy labor, waiting for
some way to open to the lighter occupation. Thus,
at fifteen years of age, we find him an uncultured
country boy, with no acquaintance with the world
beyond the clearings and cabins of that new land.
He appears to have had no thought or ambition
above that of being able to earn a living. He had
given up attending the school in his district, in which
he had made good progress, and considered his edu-
cation complete, as far as school-books were con-

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 69

cerned. Certainly, his prospects for a place among
the learned of the nation could scarcely have been
more discouraging than it was then. What had
chopping wood, boiling salts, digging ditches in the
meadows, and milking cows, to do with refinement
and intellectual cultivation ? However, the industry
of the family was such that they began to accumu-
late a little fund, with which they purposed to pur-
chase the materials to construct a frame house.

They began laying up pennies for that object, and
to that small fund added dollars, and as the children
grew older and earned more, the prospect grew
brighter. At last, Thomas, whose fatherly interest
in the family was truly heroic, secured a contract for
clearing a large tract of land in Michigan, and chop-
ping the wood. The profits of his labor in that un-
dertaking were such that, after paying all his expenses,
the overjoyed young man was able to come back to
the home he had missed so much, and present to his
mother the sum of eighty dollars. That amount
having been added to the building fund, they felt
able to undertake the enterprise, for which they had
so long planned.

When they considered the matter of securing a
carpenter, to make the frame for their new house,
the opportunity for James to learn the trade seemed
to present itself. It was in the construction of this
little house of four rooms, near their log cabin, that
James performed his first work at the carpenter's
trade. The carpenter under whose tutelage James
succeeded in obtaining a good practical knowledge,

70 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

was Jedediah Hubbell of Chagrin Falls, and
throughout a long life he was the staunch friend of
his former apprentice.

The year 1846, when James was fifteen years old,
was an eventful one in the life of the inexperienced
boy. They had a new house and he had entered
upon a new trade. Henceforth, he would be a car-
penter, and his greatest pride was to be found in the
drawing of the shave and pushing the plane. That
was a step upward. He could earn higher wages,
and it was less laborious than farming or clearing
away timber. Yet, he never became such an expert
at the trade as to deserve any especial praise. With
the opportunities he had, with the few tools he could
secure, and with employment only on the cheap farm
houses and barns of that day, it is no surprise that
he was an indifferent workman. His work was al-
ways carefully done, and gave the satisfaction that
honest work gives to honest people. But in that
trade he exhibited no striking genius, and con-
structed no buildings which would now be consid-
ered monuments of art or of remarkable skill.

He could not always find work as a carpenter, and
was frequently, in the following years, compelled tc
leave the plane, and take up the hoe and shovel.
Turning his hand to every kind of work that a young
man could do, he found life rather hard, and his in-
crease in knowledge and property very slow.

He had not found his level. He began to feel it
severely when, after two years of toil, he found
himself with but little money left with which to

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. J\

open another season. At one time he became
utterly discouraged, and could see nothing before
him but the same poverty and the same arduous
toil. To be dissatisfied with one's trade or em-
ployment is not always an evidence of a fitness for
any other station, although it often leads to the ac-
complishment of higher tasks. James, however, was
not so much dissatisfied with his trade or work as
he was with the unprofitableness of it, owing to the
uncertainty of remunerative employment during the
entire year.

At one of these seasons of uncertainty, the old
longing to be a sailor returned with its pictures of the
ocean's grandeur and sublimity ; and for a time the old
spirit of his early boyhood was upon him. Homesick
for the sea ! Yearning for adventure ! Wishing to visit
the strange lands of which the story books had told !
In this restless mood, he determined to find some
way in which to secure a place as a sailor on some
Atlantic ship. But the offer of a job of chopping
one hundred cords of wood made to him by his uncle,
Thomas Garfield, called his attention away for a
while, only to make it to return with greater deter-
mination.

The woodland where he worked for his Uncle
Thomas, was situated near Newberg, and not very
far from Lake Erie, and often, during his stay,
he walked over to look out upon the changing hues
of that ocean of fresh water. Once in a while he
saw stately ships enter the harbor and furl their
sails, and his heart beat fast with excited arabi-

72 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

tion. Yet he purposed not to be a sailor on so
small a sea as Lake Erie. The mightiest oceans
seemed none too large for him ; and the idea of sail-
ing on the lake, was unworthy of his ambition.

Yet it occurred to . him, as he chopped and pon-
dered, — and chopping wood is a great promoter :>!
thought, — that he could learn something of shipping
by a trip on the lake and thus make more certain his
employment in some Atlantic port. Hence, with a
wisdom beyond his years, he resolved to try his hand
at the business nearer home ; and if he liked the
work, to seek some seaport as an experienced hand.

When the last stroke of the axe had been given,
and the wood was all firmly and evenly piled for
measurement, he started secretly and alone to Cleve-
land to see what chance he might find to ship as a
deck-hand, or common sailor. He had heard that
sailors were wanted, and had no doubt of his
ability to find a place. Hence, with considerable
confidence the awkward wood-chopper searched
along the wharves for a vessel of such dimensions as
would be suitable for his purpose. At last he found
one large enough and with sails enough to be called
a " stately, gallant ship," and he stepped on the deck
from the wharf, alongside which the vessel was
moored. Several rough-looking men were at work
washing the deck and splicing the rigging.

" Where is the captain of this ship ? " asked he of
a sailor.

The sailor made no answer, but, with a queer
expression of countenance, stared at the intruder.

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 73

" Can you tell me where I can see the captain ? "
asked he of another. The sailor with a motion of
the hand indicated that the captain was below, and
spoke not a word.

" Rather strict discipline I should say," thought
James, as he approached the hatchway.

Suddenly the captain appeared at the hatches, who
seemed at first astonished to see a stranger aboard
his ship. He was almost too drunk to walk and
James felt anxious lest the besotted, bloated wretch
should fall backward into the hold,

"I would like to speak to the captain," said James
to the drunken man.

For a stranger to board his ship without permis-
sion was evidently no light offense in the eyes of
the captain. But to venture to speak to him, and
especially to be ignorant of the fact that he was the
captain, was too great an insult to be endured. The
captain's wrath was uncontrollable.

"What in the are you here for ? " yelled the

inebriate. " Get out of this yeare craft, you sneakin'
thief!"

There was not a fight, but if the captain had been
sober and had indulged in such abuse, profanity and
, gesticulations, James would have picked up the rum-
soaked tyrant and ducked him in the harbor. For
James had inherited a powerful frame, and had
increased his natural strength greatly by hard work.

But he swallowed his wrath, and, leaving the
drunken wretch to vent his rage on some poor sailor^
he walked away with nearly all the poetry of a sail-

s

74 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

or's life oozing swiftly out of his brain and heart
It was a great shock. It made him feel as if he had
met with a great loss. For he never again encour-
aged the dreams of a sailor's happy life. His long-
ing for the sea was never wholly overcome, but his
views of its hardships underwent an entire change.

In a discouraged mood he sought his uncle's house
with a hope, perhaps, of securing another job of work
in the woods. There he learned that his cousins
were soon to start out with a canal boat, owned by
his uncle, to bring coal from the mines to Cleve-
land, on the Ohio Canal. Hearing of no other
employment, he asked the privilege of going with the
boat in some capacity. The only place they felt he
was capable of filling was a driver boy to lead the
horses along the bank of the canal, as they dragged
the boat toward its destination. It seems that it
never occurred to James that, by taking such employ-
ment on the canal, he was throwing himself directly
into the company and into the work which his father
so much disliked, and to avoid which he had taken
his children into the forest.

He soon found it a calling for which he was not
fitted, or at least one which such a spirit as his could
not long endure.

He never complained of his treatment by his
employer or superiors. The captain, Jonathan
Myers, and his wife, were very favorably inclined
toward him because of his strict adherence to the
truth. The canal boys were notorious for their long
yarns, and often preferred to tell a lie when it was

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 75

much more for their interest to tell the truth. Hence,
his eccentric adherence to the facts made him unpop-
ular with them. He was clearly out of his place.
He felt it, and told the kind captain that he should
not stay long. He had agreed to stay three months
at ten dollars per month, and, as long as he could,
he faithfully kept his contract But the long, monOt ,
onous tramps beside the horses, or the dull stops to
await the passage of crowded locks gave him consid-
erable time to think. He knew that his mother had
always desired to have him in some way obtain a
liberal education. He felt keenly the fact that he
was engaged in a calling which had not her approval.
The cursing, fighting and low conversation among
the men were distasteful to him. Once he was com-
pelled to defend himself from an attack of an over-
bearing bully, and, it is said that James grappled
with his opponent like a lion, and with dangerous
precipitation sent the fellow rolling into the bottom
of a flat boat Men and boys were respected there
according to their strength of muscle and powers of
endurance. These he possessed in an eminent
degree, and was seldom involved in any dispute.

Near the end of his term of three months, he was
offered a position as steersman with an advance of
wages. He had often been called upon to relieve
the steersman, and his judgment was so mature, andt
his skill so apparent, that the captain's wife advised
him to make it his profession for life. She urged
the captain to secure the place for him, because
she "felt much safer when Jim was at the helm."

76 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

But James could not be persuaded to make a new
contract, nor did the large-hearted captain urge the
matter. He said :

"Jim is too good a boy to stick to the canal. He
loves his books too well to be confined to this hard
life."

It was during this period that he met Dr. J.
P. Robinson, a physician and preacher, who has
beei\ ever since that time a devoted friend. The
doctor was an able and talkative man, whose good
impulses were ever finding vent in some unexpected
deed of kindness, and he had a great liking for James
from the time of their first meeting. He advised
him to find some place where he could work for
his board and go to school, and told him of the great
things he might do, and the great name he might
gain by persevering in the attempt to obtain learn-
ing. The advice was not lost upon James, and he
secretly resolved to find a place, if possible, where he
could follow the doctor's advice.

Near the close of his three months' engagement,
he began to be greatly afflicted with the fever and
ague, which was a sad enemy of all the canal boat-
men. The disease increased in virulence with alarm-
ing rapidity. His duties in caring for the careful
passage of the boat, when meeting another, often
required him to wade in the water, and sometimes
he ventured in waist-deep. Such frequent baths, '
with the subsequent chill of the wet clothing which
he wore until it was dry, greatly aggravated the
disease.

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. Jf

One day after he became so weak that he could
scarcely perform his work, while he was engaged in
fastening a rope at the stern of the boat, he reached
over the side to lift the rope from the water. He
did not realize how weak he had become. He could
not lift the rope. He tugged at it for a few moments,
and then, while attempting to get a firmer hold, lost
his balance and fell headlong into the water.

He had never learned to swim and he was in great
danger of drowning. Fortunately, the rope which
was the cause of the accident lay in the water within
reach, and he had the presence of mind to clutch it,
while the hands on the boat pulled him out The
shock and the chill of the cold water were more than
his weak frame could endure. All the symptoms of
a dangerous fever followed, and he determined to
hasten home. In his journey he was assisted as far
as Newberg by friends, but from that place, while
burning with fever and dizzy with the ague, he
walked determinedly home to his mother's cottage.

yZ THE LIFE. SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

CHAPTER VI.

EFFORTS TO OBTAIN AN EDUCATION.

SLOW BECOVEBY. — MBETING WITH MB. BATES. — A PRIVATE TTJTOB.
— DETERMINED BEGINNING. — THE GEAUGA BEMINART. — ESTI-
MATES THE COST OF A TERM AT SCHOOL. — EARNS A SMALL BUM TO
START WITH. — HIS MOTHER'S HELP. — BOARDING HIMSELF AT
CHESTER. — PUDDING AND MOLASSES. — THE ADVANTAGES OP A
HEALTHT BODY. — TEACHING SCHOOL. — VACATION WOBK. — IN-
TEBEST IN BELIGION. — THE DISCIPLES OP CHRIST. — RELIGIOUS
PERSECUTION. — TRUSTWORTHY WORK. — A GOOD NAME.

For weeks after his return to his home, he was
confined to his bed by the fever. He was very sick.
The disease was dangerous. The mercurial medicines
prescribed appear to have been more dangerous. Yet
after a few weeks he began slowly to recover, notwith-
standing the depressing effects of exhaustion, ague
and calomel. His mother's faithful nursing overcame
both the disease and the prescription.

Again he was given an opportunity to think. He
could not work, play or read. He was compelled by
his inherited disposition to study, plan and dream of
the future. He would never be a sailor. That was
decided. He would never be a steersman on a canal.
That, too, was settled. He could not content him-
self with the life of an indifferent carpenter, or even
with that of a successful wood-chopper. What would
he do after he had regained his strength ?

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 79

This question was of untold importance to him
and to others. Far greater than he then dreamed.
The advice of Doctor Robinson, of the captain of
the canal boat, and the prayers of his mother were
not lost upon him.

His Uncle Amos, who frequently came to his bed-
side, added his precepts to the already strong evi-
dence of the value of scholarship. Lying day after
day, unable to move in his bed from one position
owing to the ague cake which stubbornly refused to
be reduced, he revolved in his mind various schemes
for securing an education. He had nearly decided
to try again the district school and swallow his pride,
provided a teacher was engaged who could help him
along, and had determined to seek the advice of
some suitable person about the books he might need,
when a most fortunate circumstance happened to
give direction to his plans.

Samuel D. Bates, who has since been extensively
known and revered as a Baptist preacher, was
employed to teach school in Orange, and his atten-
tion was called to the studious and upright life which
James was reputed to have led. He was especially
impressed with the fact that it was said by all,
that, through the poverty, wants and temptations of
his life, James had not swerved from the honest
truth. Neither wealth, nor fame, nor culture could
have given the boy such a claim on the good man's
heart. Mr. Bates sought the acquaintance of the
Garfield family and was soon on intimate terms with
James. His advice to him was clear and decided.

SO THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

He told him that many boys as old and as ignorant
as himself, had become great and good by persever-
ance and industry. Mr. Bates advised him to fix his
mind with unflinching determination on securing a
college education. Mrs. Garfield, with unmeasured
joy, saw the influence which Mr. Bates was having
upon James, and, with delight, saw in the behavior
and plans of her son, that he had set his face reso-
lutely toward learning and its accompanying respon-
sibilities.

On his recovery, which was exceedingly slow, he
abandoned the idea of attending further any public
school, and began a course of private instruction,
with Mr. Bates for his teacher. Under the impetus
Of the fresh inspiration which James had obtained,
his progress was surprising even to himself. He
had feared that he was too backward to enter any
academy without being ashamed of himself, but with
this assistant, he would soon take rank with the
best.

It was a singular sight to see that awkward wood-
chopper, fresh from the timber lands and the canal
boat, pouring over a grammar or an arithmetic.
With features made coarse by exposure, and pallid
with sickness, with his stiff hair, which the sun had
made crisp and wiry, standing up in a great tuft
from his forehead, and with hands grim and horny,
he had a most unpromising appearance as a candi-
date for literature or scholarship. There were those
who regarded the attempt which James was making,
as a very foolish effort of a country farm-hand " to

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 8 1

get above his business," and even said that it would
be better to advise the boy to lay up his money and
to help his mother, rather than waste his valuable
time in useless " book learning." Even Uncle Am6s,
with all his reverence for the ministry, and admira-
tion of able temperance lecturers, did not think it
worth while for any boy of such plebian stock as the
neighborhood of Orange was supposed to produce,
to spend his time in securing anything more than a
knowledge of the "common English branches."
But James had made an unchangeable resolution ;
and, with a keen love for books, and a heart greatly
moved by the religious interest which the Church of
the Disciples was awakening in that community, he
stubbornly compelled every hindering circumstance
to bend to his will.

At noon by his carpenter's bench, at evening after
his work on his mother's farm, he sought his books
and solved arithmetical problems.

At this time there stood on a beautiful eminence
about twelve miles from Orange, and in the town of
Chester, a commodious, three-story wooden building,
used for a school of a higher grade than the common
schools, and called the "Geauga Seminary." It was
in one of the most charming localities in Ohio.
The school was then in a very prosperous condition,
and attracted students from distant parts of the State.
It was established by the Freewill Baptists as a
denominational school, and, but for the unfortunate
religious persecution in which that denomination in
Ohio was concerned with others, it would have cob-

82 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

tinued, doubtless, in their hands, and might long ago
have been a college. Its standard of education at
that time was not higher than the lower classes in
the high schools now. But that was a great advance
upon the rudimentary knowledge imparted in the
common schools.

Mr. Bates had been a student at the Geauga Sem-
inary, and pointed out to James the great advantage
it would be to him if he could manage to attend that
school. At the time the suggestion was made to
James, there did not appear to be any probability or
possibility of his being able to attend the school.
He could neither spare the time from work, nor get
the money with which to pay his board. Yet his
courage abated not at the prospect. His mother
agreed with him that somehow and in some way he
must go. All his family, including Thomas, now
grown to manhood, and his sisters, Mehitable and
Mary, now in the ranks of womanhood, were kindly
disposed, but they were poor. If he attended the
academy he must depend on himself and his mother.

When the advantages of the seminary at Chester
began to be discussed in the community, Uncle
Amos thought that it might be well to permit his
sons to attend school there, provided they could earn
the money, as James must do. Long and anxious
discussions followed in both families, sometimes in a
kind of joint convention, and sometimes in their
separate circles, upon the ways and means for
obtaining an academic education. They calculated
the cost of the tuition, then estimated how much

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 83

their food would cost if they had no luxuries at all
and boarded themselves on the very cheapest food,
such as hasty pudding, and corn bread. They were
compelled to add the cost of some stout cloth for a
suit of clothes, with a cap and a pair of boots for
each. How provokingly it did count up! How
great were the difficulties in the way of those young
men!

If they boarded themselves, how many dishes
would it take, how many knives and forks, how many
towels, and how many kettles ? All those must be
borrowed from home to save the expense of purchas-
ing new. Yes, that could be arranged ; but yet the
project seemed very distant

It was not until some months after the matter was
first talked of, that a way opened for James. He
had an opportunity to earn a few dollars on an
unusually profitable job of carpentering, and, although
the sum seemed a mere pittance for one in his cir-
cumstances to begin such an undertaking, he resolved
to make a beginning and trust the future to open
the way to further advancement.

In 1849, that year made memorable by the discov-
ery of gold in California, and which witnessed the
departure of so many young men for the gold fields,
James began his course of instruction at Chester.
It was the humblest beginning that could be made,
and it must have most severely wounded his pride to
be associated with scholars more advanced and to
much more favored in worldly possessions. He was
too brave to exhibit any misgivings, or let people

84 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

know that he noticed the distinctions which are al-
ways, but often unconsciously, made between the
rich and poor by the best of men and women.

A description of their style of living at the Geauga
Seminary has been given to the author by one of his
room-mates who attended the school the second term
of James's stay at Chester. There were three of them
in one room — James, his cousin, Henry Boynton,
and Orren Judd. The room was about ten feet wide
and twelve feet long, and was in a small farm-house
near the academy. They selected that room because
it was cheaper than those which were let in the
academy building, and for the same reason the three
boys occupied but one room. With the two narrow
beds, their cook-stove, boxes, and three chairs, there
was but little room for themselves. They divided
up the work, and each alternately prepared the meals
for a day. When the fire was burning in the old
box-stove, which had but one cover, the heat often
drove out all but the cook.

Their meals, however, were often cold, and for
many weeks their only diet consisted of mush and
milk. When the bread from home gave out, the
supply being renewed nearly every week, they re-
turned invariably to their hasty pudding, or to their
hot corn-cakes and molasses. They were at the
academy to study, and not to cook. To keep alive
was the only object in eating at all ; and whenever
they were compelled to eat, they did it with dispatch,
and returned to their books. Near the end of their
second term, the boys became very much dissatisfied

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GAJLFIELD. 85

with their board, and made up their minds that
boarding themselves was not a successful enterprise.
James is said to have thrown down his spoon one day
as he finished his dish of pudding and molasses,
saying, —

" I won't eat any more of that stuff, if I starve ! "
But all their drawbacks did not appear to hinder
their progress in their studies. ■James worked very
hard, and made such masterly strides upward that he
soon had reason to feel proud of his achievements, s
His hard fare, hard work, and close application made
no impression upon the hardy constituti6n which
had been disciplined by chopping wood, planting
crops, and drawing the plane ; and while his class-
mates and room-mates faltered and weakened under
the strain and the privations, he kept steadily pull-
ing onward, with his health and strength unim-
paired.

How few successful men have spent their entire s
youth in school. The keenest intellects and the
greatest minds of earth have almost universally been
found with those whose youth was inured to hard-
ships, and whose early years were spent in physical
hard work. With a healthy body, no man need de-
spair of getting an education, even if he must begin
in middle age. A college education is such a very
small part of the learning necessary, in this day, to
entitle a person to a position among scholars or men
of letters, that it is universally regarded by cultivated
men as only a beginning. No man with a rugged
body and a -thoughtful mind need lack a college edu-

86 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

cation. The knowledge of mathematics, of science,
of the languages, or of history is no more valuable
because it has been learned inside the halls of a col-
lege building. They can all be learned elsewhere;
and to be a leader among men, much that is more
difficult and more profound must be acquired away
from then. The boy who has graduated from a col-
lege La* only just begun, if he really hopes for suc-
cess ; and this after-education cannot be acquired in
the rough contact with the cares of life, without a
sound body to draw upon. Many men who never
heard a 'college lecture, and never darkened the
doors of the humblest university, have started late
in life, with vigorous health, and acquired a fund of
learning beyond that of college professors, and per-
formed great deeds, which precocious students had
not the strength to execute. All schools and colleges
are a help, but they are not an absolute necessity.
Health is always a necessity. It gives the late
scholar a strong advantage over an early one. It
gives the power to become learned and great to him,
who may have passed a score of years in ignorance.
It is an inestimable blessing to any one, and worth
the sacrifice of early school-days. Experience, as in
the case of James, has taught that a neglected early
education is no loss, if the young man possesses the
moral courage to acknowledge his ignorance, and
vigorously sets himself at the task of making up his
deficiencies. It often requires more fortitude than
to fight a battle. But he who wins in that contest
will conquer in all others. James lost nothing in the

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. %J

end by being poor and out of school in his boyhood,
and others need not.

Even the delay in his progress, caused by his ab-
sence for the purpose of earning money enough to
pay his way, seems to have been easily made up.
Having an opportunity to teach a school in his na-
tive town, he eagerly accepted the position, and was
absent from the academy the entire winter.

That school was a difficult one to control, and was
noted for its unruly boys. James was an enthusiast
then, on the subject of learning, and took the most
eager interest in all the lessons of the school. He
was also a believer in good order, and in his ability
to maintain it It is told of him that several of the
boys, led by a stubborn young giant, attempted to
conduct themselves unseemly during the school
hours, and engaged in open rebellion. When the
rebellion was crushed, which was not long after the
teacher set about it, there were several sore heads,
a giant with a lame back, and the most perfect de-
corum throughout the school-room.

During these academic days, James took an active
and permanent interest in religious matters. His free
spirit and strong independence of character inclined
him toward the Church of the Disciples, the creed
of which, if it may be said to have had any in that
day, was untrammeled by traditions and unfettered by
any laws, save the words of the Bible, without change
or comment. They formed a religious community,
in which all were supposed to have an equal share,
and in which every one could preach, if he so de-

88 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

sired, without the usual ceremony of ordination* or
installation. It claimed then, as the large church
does now, to follow the example of Jesus, as the dis-
ciples followed it, and to be as free from church or-
ganization and creeds, as were the apostles. Alex-
ander Campbell, the founder of the sect, was long a
member of the Baptist church, and claimed to differ
from them only in his disbelief in the binding force
of the church creed, and in the necessity of ministe-
rial ordinations. Such, in the main, seems to be the
faith of the church he founded.

In 1848 and 1849, the religious movement in favor
of the Disciples was very strong in the northern
part of Ohio, and Mrs. Garfield was one of its early
converts. With her, were many members of the
families in Orange, including " Uncle Amos." They
were a sensible, devout, sincere and unobtrusive sect,
and their belief and example naturally appealed to
the large-hearted, plain people of Ohio.

It may be that the church would not have grown
with such rapidity, had it not been for a most absurd
persecution which sprung up among the Baptist and
Freewill Baptist churches. Opposition and unjust
persecution have ever been meat and drink for new
religious movements. Churches thrive under oppo-
sition, and lag in profound peace. Many of the
Freewill Baptists, having gained considerable
.strength themselves by the persecution they had
endured, were foolish enough to repeat the ever-
recurring event of the past history, and in turn be-
gan the persecution of the Disciples. It was a

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 89

movement discountenanced by many of the best
members, and few churches, as a body, took a share
in it But the spirit of persecution showed itself in
little acts of discourtesy, in refusing to speak when
accosted, in shunning companionship, in refusing
to allow the children to play together, in favoritism
in school, and on public occasions, and sometimes in
angry personal disputes.

James had no sympathy whatever with that spirit,
and sympathized deeply with the inoffensive yet
injured party. The Geauga Seminary at Chester
felt the effects of public opinion, and became the
scene of frequent disputes and of unpleasant religious
controversy. The same feeling existed in other
schools ; and as the " Disciples of Christ " grew
stronger and bolder, the necessity for an institution
of learning for their sons and daughters forced itself
on their attention, and led to the foundation of an
academy at Hiram, Portage county, of which we
shall speak further in the next chapter.

In all the discussions on religious topics, James
was the outspoken champion of entire religious free-
dom, and fought with all his heart against any ostra-
cism or persecution because of religious opinions. He
claimed the right to follow the faith the Bible appear-
ed to him to teach, and stoutly maintained that every
other person should be given the same sacred right.
His Christian faith and his behavior were both open,
courageous, generous and impartial, and his advocacy
of the Disciples did much in that early day to
strengthen the stakes of their tabernacle.

90 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

His life as a Christian young man did much to
assist the creed to which he adhered. For no oppos-
ing politician has ever been found, — and they are the
most merciless of critics, — who would venture to say
that James led an inconsistent life. One old gentle-
man residing in Mayfield, who knew James in that
early day, said of him afterwards, that, —

" His conscience kinder went ahead on him inter
his work, an' ye could allers trust him to du any job,
hoein', rakin,' he win', planin', teachin', or any other
thing, fur he'd feel much the wust ef he left any
out as it had n't dorter be. He did n't cover up
nothin' h'ed spiled, an' he'd work just as fast if the
man who paid him warnt around. He was right-up-
'n-down squar ! "

Such is the universal testimony of those for whom
he labored in field and shop, woodland and school-
room during his vacations, and when the strongest
temptations which ever beset a young man urged
him to slight his work and obtain money without
giving an honest equivalent. Such a name was
of inestimable value to him in after years, and to the
church whose cause he thus early espoused.

OF GENERAL JAMES A- GARFIELD. 91

CHAPTER VII.

SCHOLAR AND TEACHER AT HIRAM.

■SAVING CHESTER. — DESCRIPTION OF HTBAJf. — THE OBOWM OF OHIO.
— THE ECLECTIC INSTITUTE. — THE COUUE OF STUDY. — A LEADER
AMONG THE STUDENTS. — JANITOR OF THE BUTLDINO. — URGED TO
BECOME A PBEACHEB. — DETERMINED TO ATTEND COLLEGE. — THE
DEBATING CLUB. — A REVOLT. — OUTSIDE STUDIES. — WORK AS A
TEACHER. — WORKS ON ALONE INTO THE COLLEGE TEXT-BOOKS. —
BORROWS MONET OF HIS UNCLE THOMAS. — STARTS FOR WILLIAMS-
TOWN COLLEGE.

Notwithstanding all his hardships and annoy-
ances at Chester, James parted with the school and
town, at the end of his last term there, with feel-
ings of sincere regret It had opened a new life to
him, and he was profoundly grateful. It was an
excellent school. Its teachers were faithful, kind
and competent The boys and girls who attended
there went for the purpose of making themselves
useful in the future, and they had been most con-
genial companions. The wide landscape, which
stretched far away in every direction from the pleas-
ant hill-top where the academy stood, was one he
often loved to contemplate, and it had exercised its
useful influence in shaping the course of his life.
There, among other pleasant faces, he had been
gratified to meet the modest, quiet girl they called

92 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

'Crete Rudolph, whose home was in Hiram, and
who was to cross his path again. He had obtained
in that recitation room, they called "the chapel,"
many new ideas, and a fund of encouragement. He
came to it a coarse and awkward woodsman, and in
portions of two years, it had lifted him into an aspir-
ing scholar, with attainments worthy of any of his
age. It had made the world more beautiful, more
valuable, and life more earnest and sublime. It had
revealed to him the latent power within himself.
It had shown him the distant mountain-tops of fame
and greatness, and set his feet in the path that led
heavenward. It is said of him that he was wise
enough to see and appreciate it all, and if he did,
his heart throbbed sadly as he turned away from
those beloved scenes.

His life at the Chester Academy had much of
sunshine in it after all. He had not always worn
the coarsest clothes, nor had he every term boarded
himself. For to-day, teachers will show to the
visitor the battered and narrow chamber in the third
story of the academy, in which he slept during the
two terms he boarded in the building, and the same
old stove at which he warmed himself.

Thus, with feelings of gratitude for the past, and
with high hopes of the future, James turned from
Chester toward Hiram. He had no more capital
then, than when he came to Chester, except the
ability to command higher wages as a teacher, and
the increased skill which a few months more of
practice had given him as a carpenter.

OP GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 93

The town of Hiram is in Portage county, and its
situation is such that it might be styled "the crown
of Ohio." It is located very close to that elevated
line where the waters divide, one part flowing south-
ward to the Ohio river, and the other portion north-
ward to Lake Erie. From the commanding eminence
where the college is located, the panorama is beauti-
ful and extensive. The spectator looks down upon
fields of grain and tracks of woodland, and away to
hills and forests, with glimpses of the neatest of
farm-houses in the country, and of clustered dwell-
ings in the distant villages, adding the romance of
art to the attractions of nature. So varied is the
landscape and so serenely quiet seems everything in
sight, that many beholders stand and gaze, and gaze
again, with an inexhaustible satisfaction. It is one
of those sweet and quiet retreats whose embowered
walks and shady lawns seem most consistent with a
thoughtful mood and a virtuous mind. Strikingly
suggestive of the sylvan shades of antiquity, in the
shape of the hills and the verdure of its trees, the
college seems to be a part of the natural landscape.

There, in 1849, thc leaders among the Churches of
the Disciples decided to locate their academy ; and
March 1, 1850, the legislature of Ohio granted them
a charter, under the name of " The Western Reserve
Eclectic Institute." Among the founders of the
institute was Mr. Zeb Rudolph, the.father of Lucretia
Rudolph, of whom mention was made in the last
chapter. There was a flourishing church of their
faith near the spot which they selected, and a neigh-

94 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

borhood composed of very intelligent fanners, many of
whom were born in New England. Professor B. A.
Hinsdale, in writing for the " Centennial History of
Education in Ohio," thus speaks of the aims which
the founders had in establishing the school :

"The aims of the school were both general and
special ; more narrowly they were these :

(i) To provide a sound scientific and literary
education.

(2) To temper and sweeten such education with
moral and scriptural knowledge.

(3) To educate young men for the ministry.
One peculiar tenet of the religious movement in

which it originated, was impressed upon the Eclec-
tic Institute at its organization. The Disciples
believed that the Bible had been in a degree obscur-
ed by the theological speculations and ecclesiastical
systems. Hence, their religious movement was a
revolt from the theology of the schools, and an over-
ture to men to come face to face with the Scriptures.
They believed, also, that to the Holy Writings be-
longed a larger place in general culture than had yet
been accorded to them. Accordingly, in all their
educational institutions they have emphasized the
Bible and its related branches of knowledge. This
may be called the distinctive feature of their schools.
The charter of the Eclectic Institute, therefore, de-
clared the purpose of the institution to be: "The
instruction of youth of both sexes in the various
branches of literature and science, especially of moral
science as based on the facts and precepts of the
Holy Scriptures."

" The Institute rose at once to a high degree of
popularity. On the opening day, eighty-four students
were in attendance, and soon the number rose to
two 01 three hundred per term. Students came

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 95

from a wide region of country. Ohio furnished the
larger number, but there was a liberal patronage
from Canada, New York, and Pennsylvania ; a con-
siderable number came from the Southern States,
and a still larger from the Western. These students
differed widely in age, ability, culture, and wants.
Some received grammar school instruction ; others
high school instruction ; while others still pushed
on far into the regular college course. Classes were
organized and taught in the collegiate studies as they
were called for ; Language, Mathematics, Literature,
Science, Pnilosophy, and History. No degrees were
conferred, and no students were graduated. After
they had mastered the English studies, students were
allowed a wide range of choice. The principle of
election had free course. A course of study was
published in the catalogue after the first year or two ;
but it was rather a list of studies taught as they were
called for than a curriculum that student* pretended
closely to follow."

The Institute had passed through one term when
James appeared at Hiram ready for work. He was
as courageous and as poor as ever. His cousins were
with him, but they had abandoned the expectation of
keeping pace with him. He carved his own way
and was, at that time, a " law unto himself." He had
won the battle for mental supremacy before he entered
at Hiram, and ever after he was treated by the
many students who came to Hiram from Chester, and
soon by all at Hiram, as though he was of a different
mould from the masses, and one who was expected
to learn faster and know more than his class-mates.

Still the weights of poverty hung to his feet and
the struggles for a livelihood were long, severe, bitter.

96 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

One of the first attempts he made to make sure of
food while he studied, was to secure the place of
janitor of the building, where he might build the fires,
sweep the recitation rooms, and ring the bell for a
small sum per month. He that afterwards became
a professor in the same rooms he had swept as a
young man ; he that was to be the President of that
college, the bell of which he was glad of a chance to
ring, began at the very lowest and stooped to con-
quer.

The good Christian people who took an active share
in supporting the institute, noticed his meekness
and recognized his superior abilities. They regard-
ed him as providentially adapted to the work of
preaching the gospel, and repeatedly urged him to
follow that profession. They did not find in him
any disinclination to do his duty; but there was at
one time a hesitancy, on his part, about entering the
ministry, owing to his distrust of his ability and
fitness. He began, however, as early as his twenty-
first year to fill the pulpits in various churches of his
own denomination ; and before his graduation or de-
parture from Hiram, he was in most flattering demand
to supply vacant pastorates in the vicinity.

Some urged him to be satisfied with the instruction at
the institute, which was notformany years aftera col-
lege, and to abandon his plans for a collegiate course
But no offer, however large, and no place however
high, could induce him to rest satisfied with anything
less than the highest educational culture.

Living upon the simplest farmer's fare, and sleep-

OF GENERAL JAMES A- GARFIELD. 97

ing in the humblest and plainest of the basement
rooms in the college, he kept steadily before him
the hope of being able to stand among the highest
and best in the land. He was a lover of college
sports, and was eager to win the games in which he
took part.

But the place he loved most to visit was the de-
bating club which was to him both a recreation and
a study. The debates were always vigorous and
scholarly on the part of a portion of the students,
and somewhat light and jocose on the part of others ;
and it appears that the debating club to which James
belonged had a serious division, owing to a differ-
ence in the tastes of the members. As is usually
the case, those who enjoyed frivolity better than
sound sense were in the majority and could carry by
a preponderance of votes any measure which they
brought before the club.

The contest over some matter concerning a public
debate, become so serious and bitter that young
Garfield arose, in considerable anger, and declared
that sooner than be compelled to waste his time in
such nonsense as the majority proposed, he would
form another society, if he had to debate alone with
himself. Believing the minority had rights which
the majority were bound to respect, he demanded
concessions from the party in power, or he would
withdraw. The concessions were not made, and he
set up the standard of revolt. To bis colors the
leading students nocked, and a second society was

7

98 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

formed with him for President which long outlived
the one from which they withdrew.

It is said that he did not confine himself to the
regular studies of the institute, but used his extra
hours in reading history and theological works.
The work which he accomplished must have been
nearly double that of many students. Yet he found
time for many vigorous games. He soon left many
of the classes behind, and at the opening of his sec-
ond year b ; wa" appointed as a teacher of some of
the lower clashes. In that way, by doubling his
hours of work, and taking for study, many hours of
the night, he was able to keep on in his recitations
with the advanced classes, while he taught the lower
grades. The way did not open for him to secure the
funds with which to go to college, at the time when
he had prepared himself for the Freshman classes,
and so he kept on teaching, and preaching, and
studying the text books of the regular college
courses. It was for a long time in doubt whether he
would be able to enter any college, his financial
means were so limited. But he never abandoned
the hope, sooner or later, in some way, to obtain the
money. He was not one of those young men who
wished to graduate from college for the social stand-
ing which it was supposed, through the ignorance
of the public, to give a man, whether he had learned
little or much. He desired the opportunities which
colleges, libraries, and learned men could give to en-
large the field of his study. He knew that he could
obtain elsewhere all that the colleges could give, and

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 99

more, by persevering hard work over the books, and
actually did secure for himself the first two years'
course of college classes. Yet he saw that he could
progress faster with congenial associates and among
men more learned than he.

One day, he thought of his uncle, Thomas Gar-
field, whose various enterprises had been successful, -
and who had acquired a fortune. It occurred to him
that his uncle might be willing to lend him enough
to enable him to attend two years at Williams Col-
lege in Massachusetts, where he heard that the ex-
pense was not great, and the standard of scholarship
high. He had studied so faithfully that he felt very
sure of entering two years in advance.

But he disliked very much to ask any person to
lend him money. It was a most humiliating step to
take. He sought advice from relatives, and they
told him to try it. So he reluctantly went to his
uncle, and asked for the use of five hundred dollars,
until he could finish his college course, and earn that
sum by teaching. His uncle had always been kind
to him, and had seemed to take a friendly interest in
his welfare ; but yet the nephew had the strongest
doubt regarding the success of his petition for so
large an amount of money. It was a large sum for
a poor young man to borrow, but a very small sum
on which to undertake two years of college life, five
hundred miles from home.

His uncle met him in a generous manner, and say-
ing that he felt sure of his pay, if his nephew lived,
loaned young Garfield the sum for which he asked

100 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

The young man, conscientiously desiring that his
uncle should be secured in case of his death while in
college, procured a policy on his life, in a Life Insur-
ance company, for five hundred dollars, payable in
case of his death to his uncle.

Thus the way opened to him, at last, for a col-
legiate education, and young Garfield, full of joy and
ambition, took leave of his mother at Orange, and of
his school-mate, Lucretia Rudolph, at Hiram, and
with the sum his uncle had lent him, slightly aug-
mented by a little sum he had saved, started on his
long journey toward the classic Berkshire hills of the
old Bay State.

Just before his departure for Williams he wrote a
private letter to a friend, explaining his reasons for
choosing Williams rather than the college of his
denomination at Bethany. A part of it was as fol-
lows :

" After thinking it all over I have made up my
mind to go to Williamstown, Massachusetts. * * *
There are three reasons why I have decided not to
go to Bethany, ist. The course of study is not so
extensive or thorough as in Eastern colleges. 2d.
Bethany leans too heavily toward slavery. 3d. I
am the son of Disciple parents, am one myself, and
.> have had but little acquaintance with people of other
views ; and, having always lived in the West, I
think it will make me more liberal, both in my relig-
ious and general views and sentiments, to go into
a new circle, where I shall be under new influence.
These considerations led me to conclude to go to
some New England college. I therefore wrote to
the President of Brown University, Yale and Wil-

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. IOI

liams, setting forth the amount of study I had done,
and asking how long it would take me to finish their
course.

" These answers are now before me. All tell me
I can graduate in two years. They are all brief,
business notes, but President Hopkins concludes
with this sentence : ' If you come here we shall be
glad to do what we can for you.' Other things
being so nearly equal, this sentence, which seems to
be a kind of friendly grasp of the hand, has settled
that question for me. I shall start for Williams next
week."

102 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

CHAPTER VIII,

LIFE AT WILLIAMS COLLEGE,

bis health. — appearance of the hoosac valley. — the scen-
ery about williams college. — the great natural amphi-
theatre.— the mountains in october. — character of the
students. — garfield's habits as a student. — enters the
junior class. — his modesty. — the friendship of president
hopkins and professor chadbourne. — his truthfulness at
college. — his graduation. — his class-mates.

The three years of study at Hiram had not im-
paired young Garfield's health, and when, in Septem-
ber, 1854, at twenty-three years of age, he presented
himself before the faculty at Williamstown College,
for examination, he was a picture of health and
strength. His broad shoulders, large face, bright
blue eyes, high forehead, and brown hair were visi-
ble over the heads of many of his fellow students,
and he was at once known among them as the .*' Ohio
giant."

He appears to have been delighted with the pro-
fessors, with the locality in which the college was
situated, and with the extended mountain scenery.
In his letters to his friends in Ohio, he was quite en-
thusiastic in his descriptions of the men and the
landscapes. In fact he had been especially favored
during his school days in the natural scenery which
surrounded academies and college. Williamstown is

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. IO3

situated on the Hoosac river, and among the most
majestic of those mountains of which the term "Berk-
shire Hills" is both belittling and misleading. The
college building stands on the top of a natural emi-
nence, overlooking a wide plain, which all around it
stretches away to the distant, towering mountains,
and reminds the traveler somewhat of the situation
of Jerusalem, where the city itself is on a hill, with
higher mountains all around looking down upon it.
But the great natural amphitheatre, in which the
college hill at Williamstown stands, is far more at-
tractive, more extensive, more majestic The lofty
mountains appear to enclose the plain, with no
opening apparent anywhere for the egress of ihe
streams whose clear waters unite below the town, to
form the Hoosac river. Extensive forests of never-
fading green crown the mountains, while woodlands
of maple, birch, beach, poplar, and ash, adorn the
mountain sides and checker the valley.

In October, and soon after the college term opened,
the frost and sunlight combined to beautify the land-
scape, and nowhere in all the world can a more gor-
geous scene be found than from the encircled plains
of Williamstown, in the brilliant October days. The
distant mountains, under their caps of green, are ar-
rayed in all the varied hues and all the possible com-
binations and shades which the prism can show. A
flowery landscape, as enchanting as the fabled beauty
of the ancient vale of Cashmere. No one will ob-
tain any idea of its autumn splendor unless he sees

104 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

it for himself, nor believe the accurate descriptions
of it until he visits the scene, and for himself

" Sees old Hoosac on his throne,
With hills of beauty gathered round."

It is no overwrought figure which the Alumni of

Williams use when they sing :

" Dear Alma Mater, long as stand,
Like pillars of our native land,

These everlasting hills,
Thy grateful children shall proclaim
In every clime thy growing fame."

Aside from its scenery, Williams College possessed
various attractions for the young Ohio student, which
caused him to select that college as the most desira-
ble place to pursue his studies.

The locality, the design of the founder and incor-
porators, the conservative character of the president,
whose highest aim was to sustain a safe college, the
class of students who frequented its halls, the ab-
sence of offensive, aristocratic and senseless snobs,
and the quiet and honest habits of the little native
community, made it a most appropriate and desirable
institution for a self-made, country youth, like him.
His modesty, his dislike for display, his indisposition
to go anywhere or do anything for the name of it,
and his desire to work undisturbed by outside attrac-
tions, as well as his limited means, combined to make
congenial his opening days at Williams College.

He was admitted, without question, to the Junior

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. IO5

class, he having in three years' time, in the work
of preparing for college and in the. studies of the
Freshman and Junior years, accomplished the usual
work of six years. The achievement is made more
astonishing by the large amount of other labor,
physical and mental, which he performed during that
period, in order to secure his board, clothing and
tuition.

He became at once a favorite of President Hop-
kins, and a close friend of Professor Chadbourne,
who had been elected a professor one year before.
It was a strong recommendation for young Garfield
to have the esteem and love of two such remarkable
men. Yet both those gifted scholars have kept him
fresh in their memories, and both have watched his
career with unabated interest It was among such
men that he made his closest friendship. Only
thoughtful, studious, and earnest men would have
seen anything attractive in him. His class-mates
testify that his life was so retiring and his behavior
so unostentatious, that he made no especial impres-
sion on their memories. He studied hard, often
walked alone in the roads or fields, and attended to
all his duties with quiet promptness. It was under-
stood that he was to enter the ministry, and in his
entire stay they saw nothing inconsistent with that
profession. He took an especial interest in meta-
physical studies, rhetoric, and debate, and was a
leading mind among his class-mates on those topics.

During his collegiate course he tried to secure
small sums of money by teaching evening writing-

106 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

school, in the small towns around Williamstown, but
was never so successful, in that scattered community,
as to secure a very profitable number of scholars.
He dressed very plainly and cheaply, and was com-
pelled to economize, in every way, — in his board,
his books, and in his traveling expenses, — in order
to make the small sum he had secilred to last until his
graduation. He was the humblest of them all. He
was very poor, and was brave enough to frankly
acknowledge it. There is no more striking proof of
the fact, so little understood, that college life is but
a small part of the discipline and learning necessary
to a liberal education than is found in the history of
college classes. How often do we find that the
honored, brilliant, and influential students sink al-
most immediately out of sight when they leave the
college halls and enter the breakers of actual life ;
while the silent, thoughtful one, whose presence in
the class is scarcely remembered, comes conspicu-
ously to the surface, in civil or military life, and soon
towers above all his acquaintances and school-day
associates. Sometimes, in the annals of scientific
discovery, or of national leadership, the popular and
brilliant college student is found. Once in a while
the valedictorian is again heard of in the vanguard
of civilization, with the great and the good. . But the
rarity of it is a curious and sad feature connected
with students' lives. It maybe that the honors they
received led them to the fatal conclusion that at their
graduation they knew all that men need to learn,
and stopping, they were soon left behind and beneath

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 107

by the less successful candidates for class-day
honors.

Garfield's student days appear to have impressed
him as but a portion of a whole life of study, and he
conducted himself as if his graduation was to make
no break in his pursuit of knowledge. Beginning it
as if for a long journey, on which it would be unwise,
at first, to hurry, he left the college as one who has
passed the first mile, and looks back upon his prog-
ress with satisfaction, and forward with unflinching
determination. He does not appear to have been
actuated by any desire for fame, neither had he any
confidence in his ability to acquire riches. He pur-
posed to do quiet, solid work, either as a preacher,
lawyer or teacher, and pictured to himself a life of
studious quiet and religious peace.

In his college days, his characteristic simplicity
and truthfulness were noticed and commended. He
was determined to appear to possess no more than
his actual acquirements would warrant If he did
not understand his lesson, or for some reason was
behind in his studies, he manfully said so without
reserve. His teachers never over-estimated him ; for
his life was transparent, and his words bore the
intangible but positive impress of truth. This noble
trait of his character compelled him to make many
sacrifices. If he neglected his study, there was no
escape for him in manufactured excuses. If he was
inferior to other students in certain branches of the
college studies, he could not make up for it with
44 ponies," stolen translations, or borrowed keys. If

108 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

he was late or absent at prayer-time, or at recitation,
he could not feign sickness, nor evade the monitor's
inquiries. Hence, he was forced, by his own rigid
morality, to be thorough in his studies and obedient
in his behavior. How much of human success and
human greatness depends on the strictness and wis-
dom with which parents discipline and educate their
children into that sublimest and most necessary of
all acquirements, — invariable and unshaken adher-
ence to the simple truth !

The two years of college life passed quickly with
him, as they do with all, and the joyful day of gradu-
ation came to him as to thousands of others. But
his joy was enhanced by the reflection that he should
no longer be compelled to live on borrowed money.
He is said to have longed, even at that early day, to
be at work paying up his Uncle Thomas. With the
success of his studies he must have been well satis-
fied. He had made solid progress. He had made
many warm friends, especially among the faculty.
He had secured the metaphysical honors of his class,
and had the respect of all. Yet, to enable him to
acquire this, he had drawn upon the future, and he
longed to be at work. How the desire to see his
mother, and that other lady at Hiram, may have
influenced his joy on his graduation day, the histo-
rian at present can only surmise.

The class-mates of Mr. Garfield are now scattered
through the different States of the Union, and are
nearly all of that steady, sturdy character for which
he was remarkable. William Rowe Baxter was a

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. IOO,

captain in the regular sen-ice, and was killed in
Mississippi, June 1864; Stephen W. Bowles is a phy-
sician in Springfield, Massachusetts ; Isaac Bronson
is a lawyer in New York; Elijah Cutler is a minister,
and agent of the Bible Society, Boston, Mass. ; Ham-
ilton N. Eldridge is a lawyer in Chicago, and was
brevetted a brigadier-general in the war of the rebel-
lion ; James E. Fay is a lawyer in Chicago ; James
Gillfdlan is a lawyer, and was for a time in the gov-
ernment service, at Washington ; Charles S. Halsey
lives at Canandaigua, New York ; James K. Hazen,
was a Presbyterian minister in Alabama; Clement
H. Hill is a lawyer, and clerk of the United States
Court, in Boston, Massachusetts ; Silas P. Hub-
bell is a lawyer at Champlain, New York ; Ferris
Jacobs is a lawyer at Delhi, New York, and was a
colonel in the war ; Henry M. Jones is a Baptist
minister ; Henry E. Knox is a lawyer in New York ;
John E. D. Lamberton died in 1857 ; Charles W.
McArthur is a Presbyterian minister ; Elizur N. Man-
ley is a Presbyterian minister at Oakfield, New York ;
James McLean is a Congregational minister in Wis-
consin ; Robert J. Mitchell is a lawyer in New York ;
George B. Newcomb is a Congregational minister in
Connecticut ; Joseph F. Noble is a Presbyterian
minister at Brooklyn, New York ; John T. Pingree
is a lawyer at Auburn, New York ; Andrew Potter
is a lawyer at Bennington, and was a colonel during
the war; Arnold G. Potter is a lawyer at North
Adams, Massachusetts ; Edwin H. Pound is a law-
yer in Iowa; Nathan B. Robbins was a lawyer, and
was drowned in 1859; Albion T. Rocwkell is a phy-

110 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

sician in Washington, and has long been in the gov-
ernment service; he was a lieutenant-colonel in the
last war ; Lester C. Rogers is a minister of the Re-
formed Dutch Church in New Jersey; Henry Root
is a physician at Whitehall, New York ; Frank Shep-
ard is a teacher in Connecticut ; Oren C. Sikes is a
teacher at Lynn, Massachusetts ; Edward C. Smith
is a teacher in Philadelphia ; John T. Stoneman is a
lawyer in Iowa; John Tatlock is a Congregational
minister at Troy, New York ; Lemuel P. Webber is
a Presbyterian minister ; Charles Whittieris a Con-
gregational minister in Maine ; Charles D. WTilbur
is a Professor of Geology in Illinois ; John H. Wil-
helm is a Baptist minister ; Samuel Williams is a
lawyer at St. Albans, Vermont, and Lavalette Wil-
son is a teacher in New York State.

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. Ill

CHAPTER IX.

A PREACHER AND PROFESSOR.

k PREACHER IN THE CHURCH OT THR DISCIPLES. — MTrU ATTOK OF HH
ABILITIES AMONG HIS OLD NDOHBOB8. — RISE OF INFTDRLrrY AT
CHAGRIN r ALLS. — SPIRITUALISM AND CHRISTIANITY. — KXCITCNa
PUBLIC DISCUSSION. — PROFESSOR DENTON VS. PKOFESSOB GAB-
FIELD. — HOW THE VICTORY WAS WON. — MR. OARPIRLD'S POPU-
LARITY ASA TEACHER. — TESTIMONY OP STUDENTS. — MARRIAGE
WITH MISS LCCKETIA RUDOLPH. — HIS SPEECH AT HIRAM.

On his return home Mr. Garfield was received
with great joy by all his friends. The founders and
supporters of Hiram College had already laid their
plans to engage him sooner or later as a teacher.
While many of the congregations of the Disciples, to
whom he had preached, had equally confident hopes
of securing him for a permanent pastor. It is said
that he had not definitely marked out a course for
himself, but told his friends that he should probably
follow preaching as a profession. With a seeming
view to that calling, he supplied many pulpits and
attended many general meetings of his denomina-
tion. Among the people of the interior towns of
Ohio it was considered a very great achievement to
graduate from an Eastern college ; and Mr. Garfield
was at once received as a man of learning, and his
ideas on theological questions were accepted by the

112 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

lay members at least, as the authoritative exposition
of scriptural truth.

He had ever been a close reasoner, and an enthu-
siastic admirer of the Bible from his early academic
days. In some places he was looked upon with that
awe and respect with which they might receive a
prophet. In fact, it is seldom the lot of an/ man, in
Church or State, to receive such devoted and loving
expressions as those which were given to Mr. Gar-
field throughout his ministerial work

An incident, illustrating both his ready wit, and
ability to cope with difficult questions in science,
philosophy and religion, and the respect in which he
was held by his denomination, occurred at Chagrin
Falls, near his old home.

Professor Denton, somewhat noted for his adher-
ence to spiritualism, gave a series of lectures at
Chagrin Falls, and attempted to prove by scientific
discoveries that the Bible could not be true.

In the course of his discussion he had been able to
convince quite a number of people, and it began to
be boldly asserted, on the streets and in the facto-
ries, that the Bible was only an ingenious fable.

Professor Denton was a critical scholar and had a
very plausible way of stating his theories ; and there
was no one found to withstand his arguments. Min-
isters attacked him, but only with invectives, which
did more harm than good. Teachers and public
speakers often ridiculed him, but such things only
avail against a shallow reasoner, or one manifestly
unpopular. Professor Denton was gaining the think-

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 113

ing men and women, and felt sure, as his adherents
boasted " of shutting up the churches and abolishing
the Bible from Chagrin Falls." It was one of these
strange, almost unaccountable freaks of public opin-
ion, and men were drawn into it who, all their lives,
had been the most orthodox believers in the Holy
Bible. .

The Churches of the Disciples viewed the success
of Frofessor Denton with the deepest dismay. The
church at Chagrin Falls seemed in danger of anni-
hilation, and the whole denomination viewed its tot-
tering condition with great alarm. It happened that
the noted professor had one weak point illustrating
the truth of that Book he was endeavoring to over-
turn, wherein it says that " great men are not always
wise." • He had a habit of boasting ; and one even-
ing he went so far as to challenge any and every
believer of the Bible in Ohio to refute his statements.
He offered the use of the hall and ample time to any
person who dared to undertake the task.
, At once, the listener^ who adhered to the Bible
thought of Mr. Garfield. They had heard him
preach at Chagrin Falls and in the surrounding
country towns, and they felt that if any man could
cope with the learned professor, it would be he.
They felt that some one must champion their cause
or all would be lost. In a distress of mind not easily
realized by people living in other portions of the
religious world, these sincere and sorrowful Chris-
tians turned toward Mr. Garfield for help. At first
be declined to meet the professor, thinking it unbe-
8

1 14 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

coming a Christian man to debate such questions
in a public hall. But the continued petition of his
friends and the alarm of the churches, caused him at
last to consent, and a committee of citizens was
appointed to arrange for the public discussion.

It was a great day at Chagrin Falls, and one which
will not soon be forgotten, when these two cham-
pions met in the arena of serious, earnest, religious
debate. Mr. Garfield had never heard Professor
Denton and was consequently supposed to be igno-
rant of just the position which the professor would
take.

But Mr. Garfield had been too wise to risk a cause
which he believed so holy, to the impulses and
guesses of an impromptu speech ; and, as soon as
he knew that he was to meet the professor, he had
taken steps to find out the arguments which the infi-
del used. Having ascertained privately that the pro-
fessor was to lecture on the same topic in a distant
part of the State before the date of the discussion,
Mr. Garfield had sent a friend to hear these lectures, .
and write them out for his use.

Of course the professor knew nothing of this, and
had no doubt of his ability to silence a man who had
not made science a special study. When, however.
Mr. Garfield had received the copies of the lectures,
he had at once sent in various directions and procured
the latest scientific books, together with those the
professor had quoted as being against the Bible. He
had also obtained learned opinions of distinguished

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 115

scholars, and, before the day of the discussion, was
thoroughly armed with arguments and authorities.

When the hour came for the discussion, the hall
was crowded to suffocation by an eager, and on the
part of the Disciples, an almost breathless audience,
.but they did not lose faith in Mr. Garfield. They
thought that if any one could overcome the learned
professor, then they had secured the right man.

The professor, amid the smiles of his followers and
with a perfect confidence in his ability, opened the
debate with his statements of scientific, facts and
their bearing on the accounts of creation and the
miracles in the Bible. The professor did not try to
be precise and accurate in all his statements, for he
was sure that Mr. Garfield would not attack him on
scientific ground, and, when he stated any difficult
question, he explained it very kindly in " simple lan-
guage " for Mr. Garfield's better understanding. He
repeated, however, almost verbatim, the lecture of
which Mr. Garfield had a copy.

Mr. Garfield said nothing until his turn came, and,
when he arose, it was apparent to all that the pro-
fessor had predisposed the audience in favor of infi-
delity.

When, however, Mr. Garfield coolly and with a
readiness and knowledge which really astounded his
hearers, took up the professor's arguments, one by
one, and, quoting voluminously from books and his-
tory, using the professor's own authorities against
him and piling up unanswerable names above them,
<here was such a sudden overturning as an earth-

Il6 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

quake might make. It seemed miraculous to the
people, who very reasonably supposed that Mr. Gar-
field had not heard the professor's arguments before.

The professor had the closing speech to make,
but he saw that he had lost the battle and that his
forces were too thoroughly routed to be rallied
again. So, while he claimed that with further
research he could yet establish his theories, he man-
fully admitted that he was surprised and defeated for
the time, by the apparently inexhaustible learning of
his opponent. He said it was the first time he had
met so gifted and learned an adversary. Of course
the tide of unbelief in the Scriptures was stayed, and
from that day to this, the community has not been
again alarmed or disturbed by the popularity of any
anti-scriptural lectures.

Mr. Garfield's return from college was in 1856;
and from that time until 1861 he occupied the social
position in the community, of a minister of the gos-
pel, preaching nearly every Sunday, and delivering
addresses at conferences and yearly meetings of the
church.

The school at Hiram in which he was appointed
a professor upon his return from college, was, as has
already been stated, a denominational institution,
and his position as a teacher in a school, a part of
the purposes of which was to educate young men
for the ministry, was a semi-pastoral one, and con-
nected him closely with church work.

A year after his engagement as a teacher, Pro-
fessor A. S. Hayden, the principal, resigned, and

OF GENERAL JAMES A GARFIELD. II J

Mr. Garfield was immediately elected to fill that
important post

Of Mr. Garfield's three years of labor as a princi-
pal of the school at Hiram, hundreds of students
speak in terms of almost extravagant praise. He
seems to have been loved as a father is loved, and
the affection of his scholars was returned in large-
hearted measure by him. He was remarkably suc-
cessful in building up the school and in placing it on
a footing where its transformation into a college was
possible. He took an interest in the welfare of each
student and stood on terms of familiar yet dignified
acquaintance with them all. He taught them how
to study. He played with them on the green.

An illustration of the character which has since
made him famous is seen in an incident during his
career as principal. His complete control of the
school was the result of firmness and kindness. In
the school-room he was obeyed with alacrity ; on
the play ground he was a kind playmate. One day,
when he took his place in a game of ball, he chanced
to see some small boys in a fence corner, close by,
looking wistfully on. He said to the players :

"Are these boys not in the game ?"

" Those little tads ? Of course not. They'd spoil
the game."

"But," said the principal, " they want to play just
as much as we do. Let them come in."

"No," was the answer again, " it's no use to spoil
the game ; they can't play."

Il8 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

" Well," said he, laying down his bat, " if they
can't play I won't."

"Well, well, let -them come in," was the answer,
and his kind heart had won the victory.

He lived in simple style as a boarder saving his
money to repay his tmcle, which, however, was soon
accomplished. Frank, cheerful, honest and truth-
ful, he was honored by every one, and it is said with
every appearance of truth that, in 1859, he had not
an enemy in the world.

It was in 1858, during his successful administration
of the institute at Hiram, that he married Miss
Lucretia Rudolph, of that place. She had been his
class-mate at Chester, ten years before, had attendee"
the school at Hiram with him, and they had through
the whole decade sustained a familiar acquaintance.
She was then, as now, a most remarkably sweet
woman. She belonged to a most excellent family.
Her mother was the daughter of Elijah Mason of
Lebanon, Connecticut, and a descendant, on her
mother's side, of General Nathaniel Green. Mr.
Zeb Rudolphr the father of Mrs. Garfield, was a pros-
perous farmer at Garrcttsville, at the time the insti-
tute at Hiram was established, and he was one of the
most influential of its founders. He still lives in
* Hiram, his wife, Mrs. Garfield's mother, having died
in 1879.

After his marriage he continued to board in a
very plain style, his wife being one of those nota-
ble young women whose pretty face and social
position in no way interfered with her common sense

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. HO,

and her willingness to make her life conform to
their financial circumstances. A kind Providence,
which for his good had often left him to hardships
and toil, most signally blessed his life through his
mother and his wife. Both women had a great in-
fluence upon his later life. His wife, in her modesty,
industry, economy and intellectual keenness, was a
treasure of incalculable value to him in every walk
of life, and on the day of their marriage the line can
safely be drawn in his history, between the old,
rough, self sacrificing struggle with adversity, and
the new era of joy, prosperity and fame.

She was no less a favorite with the students than
Mr. Garfield himself, and having been a teacher in
the Cleveland schools, she understood well her hus-
band's trials and needs. Many students came to
them both for advice and help ; and as one of the
graduates afterwards wrote for publication : " There
are men and women scattered over the United States
holding positions of honor and wealth, who began
the life which led them upward, by the advice and
with the assistance of Mr. and Mrs. Garfield." Cer-
tainly it is no over-stated tribute when we say that
the active, generous and pure life they led for two
years at Hiram, was a blessing to the world through
the influence of the students whose habits and
ambitions were shaped by them.

In a speech delivered at Hiram years afterwards,
Mr. Garfield thus spoke of his connection with the
institution :

I said that there were two chapters in the history

120 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

of this institution. You have heard the one relating
to the founders. They were all pioneers of this
Western Reserve, or nearly all ; they were all men
of knowledge and great force of character; nearly all
not men of means, but they planted this little insti-
tution. In 1850 it was a cornfield,with a solid,
plain brick building in the center of it, and that was
all. Almost all the rest has been done by the insti-
tution itself. That is the second chapter. Without
a dollar of endowment, without a powerful friend
anywhere, but with a corps of teachers, who were
told to go on the ground and see what they could
make out of it, to find their own pay out of the little
tuition that they could receive. They invited stu-
dents of their own spirit to come here on the ground
and find out what they could make out of it, and the
response has been that many have come, and the
chief part of the respondents I see in the faces around
and before me to-day. It was a simple question of
sinking or swimming for themselves. And I know
that we are all inclined to be a little clannish over
our own. We have, perhaps, a right to be ; but I
do not know of any place, I do not know of any
institution, that has accomplished more with so little
means as has this school on Hiram Hill. I know
of no place where the doctrine of self-help has a fuller
development, by necessity as well ns finally by
choice, as here on this hill. The doctrine of self-help
and of force has the chief place among these men
and women around here. As 1 said a great many
years ago about that, the act of Hiram was to throw
its young men and women overboard and let them
try it for themselves, and all those men able to
get ashore got ashore, and I think we have few
cases of drowning anywhere.

Now, I look over these faces and I mark the
several geological changes remarked by Mr. Atwater

^^^L^zeXi^ /£ ^&S~/^eJ^(^

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 121

no well in his address, but in the few cases of change
of geological fact, there is, I find, no fossil. Some are
dead and glorified in our memories, but those who
are not, are alive — I think all

The teachers and the students of this school built
it up in every sense. They made the cornfield into
Hiram Campus. Those fine groves you see across
the ro"d, they planted. I well remember the day
when tney turned out into the woods to find beauti-
ful maples and brought them in ; when they raised a
little purse to purchase evergreen ; when each young
man, for himself one, and perhaps a second for some
young lady, if he was in love, planted two trees on
the campus, and then named them after himself.
There are several here to-day who remember Bowler.
Bowler planted there a tree, and Bowler has planted
a tree that has a luster — Bowler was shot through
the heart at Cedar Mountain.

There are many here that can go and find the trees
that you named after yourselves. They are great
strong trees to-day, and your names, like your trees
are, I hope, growing still.

I believe, outside of or beyond the physical features
of the place, that there was a stronger pressure of
work to the square inch in the boilers that run this
establishment than any other that I know of ; and, as
has been so well said, that has told all the while with
these young men and women. The struggle, when-
ever the uncouth and untutored farmer boys — far-
mers of course — that came here to try themselves
and find what kind of people they were. They came
here to go on a voyage of discovery. Your discovery
was yourselves, in many cases. I hope the discovery
was a fortune, and the friendships then formed out of
that have bound this group of people longer and
farther than most any other I have known in life.
They are scattered all over the United States in

122 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

every field of activity, and if I had time to name them
the sun would go down before I had finished.

I believe the rules of this institution limit us to
time — I think it is said, five minutes. I may have
overgone it already. We have so many already that
we want to hear from, we will all volunteer. We
expect now to wrestle a while with the work before
us. Some of these boys remember the time when I
had an exercise that I remember with pleasure. I
called a young lad out in class and said, in two min-
utes you are to speak to the best of your ability on the
following subject, (naming it) and gave subject and
let him wrestle with it. It was a trying theory, and
I believe that wrestling was a good thing. I will
not vary the performance save in this. I will call
you and restrict you to five minutes, and let you
select your theme about the old days of Hiram.

In another speech on the same subject he said:

It always has given me pleasure to come here and
look upon these faces. It has always given me new
courage and new friends. It has brought back a
large share of that richness that belongs to those
things out of which come the joys of life. While I
have been sitting here this afternoon, watching your
faces and listening to the very interesting address
just delivered, it occurred to me that the best thing
you have that all men envy — I mean all men who
have reached the meridian of life — is, perhaps, the
thing you care for least, and that is your leisure.
The leisure, you have to think in, the leisure you
have to be let alone, the leisure you have to throw
the plummet with your hands and sound the depths
and find wh^t is below, the leisure you have to walk
about the towers of yourselves, and find how strong
they are or how weak they are, and determine what

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 123

needs building up, and determine how to shape them
that you may be made th&* final being that you are
to be. Oh, these hours of building ! * If the superior
Being of the universe would look down upon the
world to find the most interesting object, it would be
the unfinished and unformed character of young
men, and of young women. Those behind me have,
probably, in the main settled such questions. Those
who have passed middle manbood and middle wom-
anhood are about what they shall always be, and
there is little left of interest or curiosity as to our
development ; but to your young, unformed natures,
no man knows the possibilities that lie treasured up
in your hearts and intellects. While you are work-
ing up those possibilities with that splendid leisure,
you are the most envied of all classes of men and
women in the world. I congratulate you on your
leisure. I commend you to keep it as your gold, as
your wealth, as your means, out of which you can
demand all possible treasures that God laid down
when he formed your nature, and unveiled and de-
veloped the possibility of your future. This place is
too full of memories for me to trust myself to speak
more, and I will not ; but I draw again to-day, as I
have for a quarter of a century, evidences of strength
and affection from the people who gather in this
place, and I thank you for the permission to see you
and meet you and greet you as I have done to-day.

124 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

CHAPTER X.

POLITICIAN AND LAWYER.

political sympathies. — hope of making the law a profession. —
enters his name as a student. — years of hard study. —
profitable use of all his time. — his legal research, — in-
terest in local politics. — the stump-speaker's challenge.
— first speech. — nomination for the state senate. — in thb
service of the state. — leaving the gospel for politics. —
mrs. garfield's love of domestic life.

After Mr. Garfield's graduation from college, he
found more time to interest himself in the current
affairs of his time. Although his sympathies were
with the Republican party, at its birth, yet he had
-been too much engaged in the arduous task of sec"7->
ing an education to give much attention to politics.
But when he did have time to read and ponder upon
national questions, he began to be a vigorous and
persistent opponent of slavery, and often expressed
his regret that Fremont and Dayton were not elected.
Day by day, his interest in public affairs increased,
until he began to feel a great indignation at the con-
duct of the Buchanan administration.

He also took a keen interest in local politics, and
watched with anxiety the measures which were be-
fore the legislature of Ohio. This patriotic interest
in the welfare of his State and nation naturally led
his mind toward the laws which governed the coun-

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 12*

try, and the methods of making them. He was
never satisfied with a superficial knowledge of any-
thing in which he had an interest, and without any
definite purpose, beyond a determination to under-
stand the matter, he began to read such law books as
he could readily borrow. Soon, however, he inclined
to the hope of making the law his profession, and
began a regular course of systematic and earnest
study.

Soon after he was married, he entered his name, in
the law office of Riddle & Williamson, attorneys, in
Cleveland, Ohio, as a student of law. This he was
required to do by the law, if he intended to be ad-
mitted to the bar. He did not, however, study in
the office at all, and his purpose to become an attor-
ney was kept a secret from all his relatives.

His ability to pursue hard study, day after day,
served him well in his legal researches, for he kept
evenly on with his teaching all the while, and was
not absent from his work, or from the evening exer-
cises connected with the institute, during the term.

He had formed a habit of studying at odd times
and places, filling the entire day with some profitable
occupation or healthy sport. It would astonish the
great portion of mankind to reckon up the number of
hours in a year which they lose, in waiting, traveling,
or useless conversation. Thousands of men and
women might have acquired a mastery of law, medi-
cine, science, or theology, in the odd hours which
they have thoughtlessly wasted. The busiest busi-
ness life has its hours of waiting and delay, which

126 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

could be profitably applied to acquiring knowledge
from books. Mr. Garfield's life clearly demonstrates
this statement He acquired a habit, which may
have been contracted under the influence of his
mother's early example, of having a profitable book
at hand for use, when his usual occupation was sus-
pended or finished. In that way he prosecuted his
legal studies ; and that industry, with his natural de-
sire to be thorough, as far as he went, gave him a
great advantage over young men of looser habits.

It is well known to attorneys how difficult it is for
a young man to comprehend legal terms and expres-
sions, without an actual contact with the practice,
in the office and in the courts. It requires much
more study on the part of any person to obtain an
understanding of law away from the practice, while
the number is very limited who would succeed in ob-
taining any useful understanding of it.

The success of Mr. Garfield, therefore, as we shall
see, was something so unusual and astonishing that
it may be regarded as the greatest intellectual
achievement of his life. He understood the laws of
his State and of the nation so well that, when he
was admitted to the bar, he was capable of stepping
from his little country home into the courts, of any
grade, and trying the most difficult cases.

So improbable will this seem to attorneys, whcse
years of study and practice have left them none too
well-furnished with legal acumen, that it would not
be stated here, did not the most trustworthy of our
law reports fully corroborate it.

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 1 27

During all this critical study of the most dry
and difficult of all subjects, he neglected not his
preaching, his public addresses, his private corres-
pondence, or his family. It was all accomplished by
the careful use of all his time.

His interest in political matters, however, did not
lead him to take any public part in the campaigns,
and his appearance in the political field was sudden
and unexpected, both to the people and to him.

The story of his first political speech, and of his
first nomination, have embodied themselves in the
traditions of the neighborhood, and have thus been
preserved for the historian.

A Democratic speaker, of considerable ability and
notoriety, published a challenge for a political debate
which any person in Portage county was at liberty
to accept. In Ohio, they often used to engage in
political disputes, with the different parties repre-
sented by speakers, in the same evening. Such was
to be the proposed debate. The Republicans, who
had heard Mr. Garfield speak on some minor politi-
cal occasion, endeavored to persuade him to accept
the challenge, and more to satisfy the urgent de-
mands of his circle of acquaintances than for any
other object, he consented to do so, and set the time,
He had no such advantage of his opponent in this
; lebate as that which he so shrewdly secured over
Professor Denton, and had to rely more on the suc-
cess of an independent speech, than on any hope of
answering the precise arguments which his opponent
might put forth. He seems to have approached that

128 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

contest with many misgivings. He could preach a
sermon worthy to be published, and that on a short
notice ; but a political stump speech was a much
more difficult matter to him. His opponent had
been in many campaigns, and had all the defects
and short-comings of the new Republican party by
heart.

The hall was again crowded, but there was not
much confidence expressed in the success of Mr.
Garfield, and some of the Republicans regretted, as
did Mr. Garfield, that they had not selected some
one else.

But his opponent was over-confident, and conse-
quently said some things which he was sure this
young debater could know nothing about, but which
he stated in a way and with constructions to suit
himself. Of course, where a disputant is allowed to
manufacture his facts, and to base his arguments
upon them undisturbed, he is certain of victory.

Near the close of his speech, which was able and
convincing, the old politician read an extract from
the Congressional Globe, giving the official report of
some Abolitionist's speech, and it did put the Abo-
litionist* in Congress, and his party, before that audi-
ence, in a very bad light. After reading the extract,
with great show of indignant disapproval, the excited
speaker threw the paper furiously down upon the
platform near him, and within Mr. Garfield's easy
reach. The latter had never before seen the official
reports of congressional debates, and with a feeling

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 120,

of despair he took up the paper and glanced along
its columns, with no purpose but that of curiosity.

He carelessly looked down the column from which
the speaker had quoted, wondering all the while
how any man in Congress could make such absurd
remarks, when he noticed the name of a Democrat
in the column. On looking closer the name of the
Republican did not appear at all in that column, and
the unprincipled politician had been quoting a Dem-
cratic speech, and claiming it to be the official report
of the Republican's words. Mr. Garfield placed the
paper securely in his pocket, and, when his turn came
to speak, arose and addressed the audience calmly
and clearly, giving his views of the heinousness of
slavery and the right inherent in every man to life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness. When he came
to his opponent's arguments, he denied in toto all
the statements of the first speaker to the great aston-
ishment of the audience. Mr. Garfield said :

" So absurd and untrue are they that I need not
spend your time and mine in discussing them. I
will, however, say this much, that I thank him for
saving me the trouble of criticizing the speech he
has read from the Congressional Globe, for its fool-
ishness, absurdity and unpatriotic sentiments deserve
•unqualified condemnation.. The party, too, which
would support such a man for office, or would endorse
such sentiments should be crushed out of existence.
But the difference between the previous speaker and
myself is one of fact to be determined by you. He
says it was a speech made by a Republican. I claim
9

130 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

it was a speech made by a Democrat. Here is the
same paper. Here is the name of the speaker.
This is the speech. Any one doubting my word
will be kind enough to come to the platform and read
for himself."

There was a shout of laughter, then cheers, and
the "young preacher" bore off the honors of the
occasion.

His nomination for the State Senate came about
without the slightest effort on his part and against
his expectations. The senatorial district in which
he resided in 1859 was composed of two counties,
viz : Summit and Portage. In that year by the sys-
tem of rotation adopted by the party, Portage county
had the right to name the candidate of the conven-
tion. A friend of Mr. Garfield's who was dissatisfied
with the persons whose names were mentioned as
the probable candidates, was elected a delegate.
He thought of Mr. Garfield, and believed that the
presentation of his name at the right time might
secure success. But when the caucus met it was
found that so many delegates had been pledged
beforehand, that Mr. Garfield's name was not received
with the acclaim his friend expected. Yet the first
ballot, while there was no choice, showed that he had
a strong support. The difficulty was that the poli-
ticians did not know him. His opponents also added
that he was too young. The young professor was a
delegate to the convention, but hardly knew what
all the whispering and private discussion were about.
After several ballots in which there was no choice,

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. I3I

it became evident that on the next Mr. Garfield
would be nominated. Whereupon the opposition
determined to " bolt " and left the hall with boister-
ous demonstrations of displeasure. Mr. Garfield was
nominated unanimously by those who remained;
and, on presentation of his name to the joint conven-
tion, he was chosen as the candidate of the district,
with but little opposition. He was elected by a
sweeping majority and took his seat in the State
Senate of the following Legislature — its youngest
member.

His acceptance of the nomination and election was
regarded quite unfavorably by many members of his
denomination. Those who were his political oppo-
nents were especially loud in their expressions of
disapproval. To the defeated ones there seemed to
be an awful inconsistency in his conduct as a " Chris-
tian minister." How could a good man belong to
any party but the one with which they affilliated ?

Even his political friends and old neighbors could
not avoid saying that "it was a sad day for 'the
cause' when Mr. Garfield gave up the gospel for
politics." Of course they knew nothing of his pur-
pose to become a lawyer, and they had yet to learn,
as he soon taught them, that a sincere, generous
Christian may be a very successful and noble poll
tician. Yet, there remain a few old and stubborn (
church members of his sect who felt his loss when
he practically retired from the ministry, as they
would have felt the loss of an inspired prophet, and
cannot be reconciled to the idea that their grea*

132 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

champion orator, and leader, should "descend so
low," as to be a statesman.

To him the election was a piece of good fortune.
It added something to the amount of his limited
income, and it gave him a most valuable and agree-
able acquaintance with the public men of Ohio. It
gave him an opportunity to study in the law libra-
ries of Columbus and gave him a deeper sense of
the importance of legal studies. It gave him an
opportunity to make practical use of the learning
which he had so assiduously accumulated. He was
a decided enemy of slavery and made several most
telling hits when a question of national jurisdiction
over slaves, as property, incidentally arose. He was
not distinguished however, so much for his speeches,
as for his persevering hard work in the preparation
of bills, reports and orders. "He had a genius for
hard work," and physical constitution able to support
it, for which he was much indebted to his severe
hardships and toil when a boy.

He did not resign his position as principal of the
Hiram school, nor did they secure a permanent
teacher of Latin and Greek to take his place as a
professor, for, neither he nor the managers of the
school expected that he would continue in public
life. His wife with her natural aversion to publicity
and display, was quite anxious that he should return
to his teaching, to his study of languages with her,
and to the holy quiet and rest of their first years of
married life. No honors, nor titles, nor wealth
would have induced her to give up their simple and

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 1 33

happy domestic life in Hiram. Nothing but some
great duty, some imperative call to help the weak or
free the enslaved was worth considering in the ques-
tion of exchanging their simple life for one of excite-
ment or parade.

But the home life so sweet and dear to them both
was broken then, never again to be renewed in its
holy retirement. A great duty called him ; the
weak and enslaved asked for help, and he promptly
and cheerfully responded.

134 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

CHAPTER XI.

THE EVENTFUL YEAR OF 1861.

ADMISSION TO THE BAR. — WITHDRAWS FROM MINISTERIAL WORK.—
OPPOSITION TO SLAVERY. — LEADERSHIP IN THE STATE SENATE. —
THE GOVERNOR'S ASSISTANT. — PROVIDING FOR THE TROOPS. — THE
REGIMENT OF HTRAM STUDENTS. — DEPLKTION OF THE CLASSES. —
APPOINTMENT AS LTEUTENANT-COLONEL. — PROMOTION. — DEPAR-
TURE FOR THE FIELD. — CONSULTATION WITH GENERAL BUEL.

PLAN OF A CAMPAIGN. — MARCH AGAINST MARSHALL. — BATTLE OF
PRESTONBURG. — THE ACCOUNT OF F. H. MASON. — PROMOTION.

The eventful year of 1861 found Mr. Garfield, at
its opening, ready to enter upon the practice of law,
so far as a knowledge of its principles was concerned.
But the announcement of his admission to the bar,
at Cleveland, was a surprise to nearly all his acquaint-
ances, and completely dashed the hopes of the anx-
ious members of his denomination, who were hoping
and praying for his active entry into the profession
of the ministry. Occasionally he took a part in the
services, on special occasions, such as Sabbath-school
conventions, yearly meetings of the churches, or at
dedications ; but thinking that the belief, so prevalent
then, that politics and religion ^ere at variance,
would injure his influence for good, he wisely with-
drew from any active participation as a preacher or
teacher in church services. He did not enter the

OP GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD.

135

practice of law at once after his admission to the bar,
as he was actively engaged in the State Senate ; and
it appears that he was hesitating between opening
an office in Cleveland and remaining as a teacher at
Hiram, when the war broke out

His studies and public duties had called his atten-
tion so much to the institutions of the nation, and
his natural disposition was so inclined toward a sym-

BTATK CAPITOL OF OHIO.

pathy with the oppressed, that his heart was fired
with an almost uncontrollable patriotic fervor, at the
first news of the purposed rebellion.

As early as January, 1 861, he stood up in his place
in the Ohio Senate and declared it to be his unalter-
able determination to oppose the institution of slav-
ery, or any compromise with it. It was a heinous
national sin, and he would not condescend to negoti-

I36 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

ate with it. Senators Monroe and Cox stood with
him then, and later, Senators Morse, Glass, Buck,
Parish and Smith voted with him. When the con-
stitutional amendment was submitted to the Ohio Le-
gislature, which would guarantee to the slave States
the perpetuity of slavery, he led the uncompromising
minority, and with a remarkable display of ability,
opposed, with pointed speeches and his vote, every
measure or resolution which could be construed into
a concession to the party in favor of human bondage.
He was in earnest. He had a ready command of
language. He knew the laws and their purpose.
He had been bred to hate every form of meanness,
unkindness, and oppression. Hence, his speeches
were eloquent, thoughtful, and sincere. He seemed
to care nothing for popularity, and expected only to
do his duty while there, and retire with a clear con-
science to private life, when his term of office should
close.

But the earthquake of the rebellion overturned
many plans, and sent confusion and alarm into every
household in the nation. While he was yet in the
Senate, the attack on Fort Sumter, and the battle of
Bull Run added dismay to the already over-excited
public mind. Mr. Garfield, from the first, declared
his intention of going to the war, should it last more
than the " ninety days/- and the regular militia of the
State prove insufficient.

At the adjournment of the Legislature, he offered
his services to Governor Dennison, to assist him in
the difficult task of organizing and providing supplies

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 1 37

for the troops, then flocking toward the camps. In
the multiplicity of duties, and the incessant annoy-
ances which perplexed and harassed Governor Den-
nison, be appears to have overlooked Mr. Garfield's
ability and patriotism, and to have repeatedly pro-
moted to high office, men of much inferior ability,
because, in some way, they were placed prominently
before the Governor's attention. Mr. Garfield would
never ask for an office, and worked diligently on in
his unofficial relation to the Governor for some
weeks, going hither and thither for arms, clothing,
ammunition, and provisions, never appearing to have
had a thought that, amid all these army promotions
and profitable stations, he might have secured a val-
uable office for himself. If a high official position
had been offered him in the army, he would have re-
fused it, with his usual excuse that he did not feel
competent to undertake it.

But when the news came to the Governor that the
students of Hiram College, over which Mr. Garfield
was still the official head, purposed to organize a
regiment, it at last occurred to him that Mr. Garfield
could possibly be spared in such an emergency, and
he asked the latter to recruit and organize it.

Mr. Garfield would not at first take the office of
colonel, saying that he should need some military
training before he could handle a regiment. He
seems to have forgotten that his less able colleagues
in the Legislature had taken commissions as briga-
dier-generals, without the slightest hesitation. So
he was appointed, August 14, 1861, a lieutenant-

I38 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

colonel, and entered upon the task of organizing his
command.

One of the first meetings for raising volunteers
for his regiment was held at Hiram, and the enthusi-
asm was intense. The institution was almost wholly
depleted of its male students by the spontaneous
enlistment of the scholars. Graduates of the school
came from distant counties, and even from other
States, moved by the popularity of Mr. Garfield, and
the great enthusiasm of that early period of the war.
Although the regiment was filled almost immedi-
ately, there were many delays, caused by the diffi-
culty of securing arms and uniforms, and it did not
leave for the South until September 14th. Mean-
time, the pressure upon the Governor, on the part of
the regiment and its friends, for the promotion of
Mr. Garfield to the head of the regiment, was so
unanimous and persistent that both the Governor
and Mr. Garfield were compelled to submit to the
demand.

September 18th, Colonel Garfield's regiment, the
42d Ohio, arrived at Cattletsburg, Kentucky, which
is close to the border of both Ohio and Virginia, the
two rivers at the junction of which it was situated
being the boundaries of the three States. Colonel
Garfield was ordered to report, in person, to General
Buel, at Louisville.

General Buel was a native of Ohio, as were also
Generals Grant, Sherman, McPherson, Sheridan,
McClellan, Rosecrans, Mitchel, Gilmore, McDowell,
Schenck, Custer, Hazen, Cox, Steadman, Weitzel,

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 1 39

Stanley, Crook, Swain, McCook, and Leggett, surely
a most astounding leadership to be obtained so
honorably by a single State. General Buel was not
ignorant of Colonel Garfield's ability, nor of his pop-
ularity in Ohio, and hoped to find in the new colonel
a vigorous supporter. The campaign in West Vir-
ginia had succeeded passably well, and General Buel
hoped to be able to be equally successful in clearing
Kentucky of the rebels, and of capturing Nashville,
The general was a rather harsh disciplinarian, and
did many foolish things with his raw troops. His
ideas of military discipline were better adapted to a
military empire, or an established and unlimited
monarchy, than to the assemblies of free men, who
were fighting for themselves, and not for a king.
However, he was earnest, patriotic, and brave, and
recognizing those qualities in Colonel Garfield, he at
once confided to him the plan of the Kentucky cam-
paign. Colonel Garfield did not pretend to be a
military strategist, but when he looked over the map
with General Buel, and heard how many rebel forces
were in Eastern Kentucky, and how many in Western
Kentucky, he thought it was folly to attempt to
march through the center of the State to Nashville,
with such forces on both flanks. The general
thought that some movement ought to be made at
once, and if the colonel had any doubts about the
proposed plan it would be well to think the matter
over and consult again about it the next day.

The following morning Colonel Garfield brought
in a draft of his plan, which was to move into the

140 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

State in three columns, leaving no forces behind
them, and if either column defeated its opponent, it
could readily unite with the center and move on to
Nashville. After some discussion, and after the
general had asked the colonel if he would undertake
the direction of the eastern column, the plan sub-
mitted was adopted so far as it could be without the
co-operation of General Halleck's command in Mis-
souri. The general plan was, however, somewhat
modified by Zollicoffer's entrance into Kentucky at
Cumberland Gap with a rebel army to co-operate
with General Humphrey Marshall, who was already
in Kentucky near Pound Gap. But General George
H. Thomas was sent to drive back Zollicoffer, and
Colonel Garfield's orders to attack Humpkrey Mar-
shall were not changed.

Thus we find him with a most important campaign
on his hands before he had any useful experience in
drilling a regiment in the manual of arms. The pur-
posed movement was one of such importance, in view
of the necessity of keeping Marshall from moving to
Zollicoffer's aid and striking General Thomas's forces
on the flank, that it is a little surprising that General
Buel with his ideas of military manceuvers, should
have intrusted it to a commander so fresh from civil
life. Colonel Garfield had never seer» a skirmish nor
heard the crack of a single hostile rifle. It therefore
seemed somewhat inconsistent with Colonel Garfield's
well known character to assume the direction of so
important a military movement. It seems probable
that he did not know just how important it was, nor

s

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. I4I

appreciate how eagerly the whole field was heing
watched by President Lincoln and the authorities at
Washington for some signs of ultimate victory. It
was one of the gloomiest periods of the war; and
when the news of the selection of Colonel Garfield
for the expedition up the Big Sandy river to meet
Marshall was announced to Mr. Lincoln, he sought
Secretary Stanton, who was also a native of Ohio,
and asked who the man was they were sending
"into such dangerously close quarters." The Presi-
dent anxiously awaited General Buel's forward
movement toward Bowling Green and Nashville ;
and seeing how important the defeat of the rebel's
flank movements under Marshall and Zollicofler had
become, he followed the movements of Colonel Gar-
field and General Thomas with the deepest interest

Colonel Garfield's orders to proceed up the Sandy
Valley were delivered to him December 13th or 14th.
A few days later, he collected the forces entrusted to
him at the mouth of the Big Sandy river, and began
his march up the valley. His command, which was
called a brigade, did not number over twenty-three
hundred available men, and consisted of the Fortieth
and Forty-Second Ohio infantry, the Fourteenth and
Twenty-Second Kentucky infantry, and eight* com-
panies of cavalry. To these he hoped to add a small
force then stationed at Paris, and to which he sent
orders directing its commander to join him near
Paintville.

General Marshall had a force of five thousand men,
and was in a country with which he was familiar,

I42 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

while Colonel Garfield was in a strange region with
about one-half that number of troops. If there had
been any hesitation or delay on the part of the
union forces it would have encouraged Marshall to
attack them on their march, for the rebel general
was among his friends, and all the people acted as
spies and couriers in communicating the advance
and condition of the invading forces. But so deter-
minedly and steadily did the troops march on, that it
seem to have created a fear of them in advance which
went far toward giving them the victory when the
battle came.

All the information which Garfield could gain
seemed to locate Marshall near Paintville, and hence,
he expected a contest at that point. But Marshall
retreated to Prestonburg before Garfield arrived, but
left a company of cavalry to hold the place and delay
the union troops. Garfield finding the enemy, and
supposing that the rebel army was immediately in
front, notwithstanding the fatigue of his troops,
moved immediately forward to attack them.

Directing his cavalry to engage the enemy in
front, Garfield made a circuit with his infantry, hop-
ing to reach Marshall's rear.

It is said that when he had given his orders to
the cavalry, and had started forward on foot with the
infantry, he took off his coat and threw it into a tree,
and shouted back to the horsemen so soon to charge,
" Give 'em Hail Columbia, boys 1 "

But before his troops reached the road in the
rear, the vigorous charge of the union cavalry had

OF GENERAL JAMES A- GARFIELD. I43

sent the enemy flying toward Prestonburg in such
haste as to leave their canteens, haversacks, blankets
and dead bodies strewing the highway.

This retreat was quite unexpected to General Gar-
field, and he had so confidently counted upon a bat-
tle at that point, that his brigade was not supplied
with provisions for a march further into the interior.
To supply the necessary provisions caused a day's
delay, and compelled him to leave a portion of his
troops at Paintville while, he pressed on after Mar-
shall. At Paintville, however, he was joined by the
troops from Paris, numbering about one thousand or
twelve hundred.

On the following day, which was the 9th of Jan-
uary, Garfield followed Marshall to Prestonburg and
found that the rebels were posted on a hill in a
most advantageous position with their artillery in a
most effective range. Garfield had been misinformed
about Marshall's movements and was compelled to
ascertain the enemy's position by skirmishing and
feints. While awaiting the troops, which he decided
to order up from Paintville, his troops were constantly
engaged in skirmishing, and the whole command
was under fire, many of the men for the first time.

It must have given a much more serious appear-
ance to the art of war, to see the line of gray, and
hear the shot and shell shriek over their heads. To
the colonel, on whose word and judgment hung the
lives of so many and, perhaps, the fate of a mighty
nation, the feeling of responsibility must have been
great, while the peculiar sense of danger and dread

144 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

of the unforeseen which fills the heart at the opening
of the first battle, must have been a trial in his inex-
perience.

It was nearly dark when the reinforcements
arrived, and without delay, and amid the enthusias-
tic cheering of the men, he ordered an advance, to
be followed by a charge upon the enemy's guns.
There was a sharp musketry fire for a short time, as
the enemy fell slowly back toward their guns, and
the artillery of the rebels was handled most skill-
fully.

When, however, the lines of the union forces had
secured the desired position from which to make
their charge, Marshall suddenly sounded a retreat,
and left the field under cover of the darkness.

The sudden disappearance of the enemy and the
silence which prevailed, together with the uncer-
tainty whether it was an actual retreat or a ruse,
made the hour following the disappearance, one of
great anxiety. The troops, fatigued and hungry,
moving cautiously about in the dark woodland and
fields, anxiously awaiting developments, were but a
counterpart of that other historical picture of the
great President at Washington, pacing his room at
that very hour, and saying, " I cannot bear this
dangerous delay. Have n't we any one who will
fight?"

General Garfield's suspense was not long, however,
for soon the clouds overhead began to assume an
unusual'color, and a little later were lit up with the
lurid glare of distant fires. The distant mountains

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. I45

stood out prominent in the unnatural light, and pil-
lars of illumined smoke arose along the- road toward
the gate to Virginia. It was clear, then, that Mar-
shall was retreating out of Kentucky, and was burn-
ing his immense military stores.

To pursue the rebels that night was impractica-
ble, and after a short cavalry reconnoissance, the
tired troops used the light of the enemy's burning
camps to prepare their meager supper and hard beds.
The time, the circumstances, and the fact that the
enemy numbered forty-nine hundred, made the vic-
tory an important one, while Colonel Garfield's brav-
ery and ability, displayed in the march and engage-
ment, placed him at once among the experienced and
trustworthy soldiers.

The next day the enemy was pursued to the
Virginia line, and the order was then given to return
to their camps near Piketon with their prisoners.
They had killed two hundred and fifty of the enemy
and taken forty prisoners, with a loss to the union
troops of only thirty-two men. Colonel Garfield's
commission as a brigadier-general was dated so as
to take effect from that battle at Prestonburg.

Mr. F. H. Mason, a private soldier connected
with the 43d Ohio has written the following most
excellent account of the battle. He says :

"The advance column marched all day, but the
roads were so wretched that it was night before it had
reached the foot of a high hill, north of the mouth
of Abbott's Creek, three miles below Prestonburg
and on the west side of the Big Sandy. Ascending

I46 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

this hill soon after dark, Colonel Garfield's advance
encountered at the summit a cavalry picket, which
fired a volley and retreated. Being evidently in the
immediate presence of a large force of the enemy,
Colonel Garfield brought his command to the top of
the hill, and with strong guards thrown out to the
front and rear, rested until morning. It was a bitter
January night. The rain which had fallen all day
turned to sleet, and a keen, biting gale from the
north whistled through the mountain pines and
stiffened the wet clothing of the soldiers with ice.
No fire could be permitted in such a situation, and
the men shivered and waited through the long, dreary
night as best they could. When morning dawned,
they found themselves on a high hill from which the
road descended by a steep, zig-zag course to the val-
ley of Abbott's Creek.

Immediately after encountering the cavalry the
evening before, Colonel Garfield had sent back a mes-
sage directing Colonel Cranor to put all the available
men at Paintville in motion at once and march to
his support. The order reached Cranor before day-
light, and within an hour, twelve hundred men, made
up from all the regiments in the brigade, were on the
march.

The advance column, meanwhile, descended early
on the morning of the 10th, to the valley of Abbott's
Creek, and found that the enemy had retired up the
stream and across the dividing ridge into the valley
of Middle Creek, which comes down from the mount-
ains parallel with Abbott's Creek, and flows into the

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GAJLFIELD. 1 47

Big Sandy, about a mile further up than the mouth
of the latter.

It was at once apparent that Colonel Garfield was
in the presence of Marshall's entire force, and that
the latter was disposed to fight Marshall was
known to have about thirty-five hundred men of all
arms, infantry, cavalry and artillery, and had come
into the Sandy Valley to spend the winter, and, by"
occupying the country, promote enlistments into the
confederate service. This purpose he could not, of
course, relinquish without a fight, and he chose his
ground, for the encounter, deliberately and well.

Proceeding cautiously and deliberately, in order to
allow the reinforcements under Lieut-Col. Sheldon
to come up, Colonel Garfield passed up the valley of
Abbott's Creek, forded the stream, crossed the
ridge and descended into the valley of Middle Creek.
Here he found Marshall's cavalry drawn up in line
across the valley, but a few shots from the advance
drove them back. One cavalry man was cut off from
the main body, and in attempting to swim the creek,
was captured, the first prisoner of war taken by the
Forty-Second on a battle-field. A heavy line of
skirmishers was thrown across the valley, and the
advance began. The enemy's cavalry made a formid-
able show in the broad meadows, but kept at a dis-
creet distance. Once, they formed behind a small
spur of hill that ran out into the valley, and from be-
hind that cover charged down upon the advancing
column. Throwing his troops into a hollow square,
Colonel Garfield awaited the attack, and when the

I48 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

cavalry came within range, sent them a volley which
broke and turned them back. The skirmish line,
under command of Adjutant Olds, advanced again
and drove the cavalry from a spur behind which it
was attempting to rally. This little spur of high
ground upon which stood a log church, surrounded
by a few graves, was then occupied by the federal
force as a base from which to attack or defend, as
circumstances might require. Drawing up his little
force on the slope, Colonel Garfield saw that Mar-
shall had come to a stand. Across the valley half a
mile distant was the confederate cavalry, and on the
same line near the foot of the' hills, to the right of
the creek, a battery was in position, which, as the
skirmishers advanced, opened fire and gave the line
a momentary check. A few shells were also fired at
the main force on Graveyard Point ; but the guns
were badly trained and the shells buried themselves
harmlessly in the mud. The enemy's cavalry and
artillery being thus accounted for, it remained for
Colonel Garfield to discover the location of his in-
fantry. On the south side of the creek to the right
of the battery rose a high hill, heavily timbered and
crowned with a ledge of rock. Around the foot of
the hill wound the creek, and close beside this, but
on the opposite side of the stream, lay the road. It
was at once conjectured that Marshall's infantry had
occupied the hill, and that the federal column, if it
advanced round the curve, would be caught by an
ambushed fire from the opposite bank. To verify
this theory, Garfield sent his escort, a handful of Ken-

OF GENERAL JAMES A GARFIELD. I49

tucky cavalry, to charge up the road and draw the
fire of the main body. The ruse was boldly per-
formed and was completely successful. As the little
group of horsemen galloped up the creek and round
the curve in the road, the battery fired harmlessly
over their heads, and the whole infantry force, with
the trepidation of new troops, opened fire at long
range, and completely unmasked their position.
They occupied the wooded hill from its base half-
way to its summit. It was now time for real work.

About four hundred men of the Fortieth and
Forty-Second Ohio were sent to ford the creek,
climb the mountain and attack the rebel position in
front Major Pardee of the Forty-Second, who was
practically in command of the fighting in that part
of the field, threw forward as skirmishers his detach-
ments of Companies "A" and "F" of the Forty-
Second and Company "A" of the. Fortieth, and
began the ascent. The skirmish line was in com-
mand of Captain F. A. Williams, who, like Major
Pardee, seemed to take naturally to the business of
fighting. Two companies of the Fourteenth Ken-
tucky, under Lieutenant-Colonel Monroe of that
regiment, were sent to cross the creek lower down,
gain a narrow ledge or crest of a ridge that ran up
to the main hill, and by advancing along that ridge,
attack the enemy in the flank and save Williams'
little force 'from being overpowered. As Williams'
line advanced up the hill it soon encountered heavy
opposition, A sharp fire came from behind the trees,
logs and rocks, and the rebels swarmed down the

I5O THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

hill, shouting and firing as they came. Half of the
remaining reserve on Graveyard Point was sent to
Pardee's support, and thus strengthened, he pushed
forward.

The firing now became as hot as a thousand men
>a one side and three thousand on the other could
make it. Had the casualties been proportionate to
the amount of powder burned, the union force, at
least, would have been annihilated. But the rebels
fired unaccountably wild. They were fighting down
a steep hill, and, as is usual with raw troops in such
a position, they overshot their mark, and their bullets,
for the most part, merely barked and scarred the trees
over their enemies' heads. They were, moreover,
armed to a large extent with smooth-bore muskets
and squirrel rifles of small calibre, and fought like a
mob, without plan or unity of action.

The federal line, on the other hand, advanced
steadily, kept well under cover, fired deliberately,
and, as the result proved, with excellent effect. The
rebels were so numerous that the trees and logs
were insufficient to cover them. Four or five fre-
quently fought behind one tree. Instead of rushing
down upon Williams' line, and profiting by the weight
of superior force, Marshall's men stood and skir-
mished with an enemy whose very disparity of num-
bers, by enabling every man to keep well under
cover, became almost a positive advantage. Firing
up hill with their heavy, long range Belgian rifles,
the Ohio men delivered a steady and effective fire.
Gradually they pushed the enemy up the hill. Re-

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. I5I

inforcements came up over the crest and down to the
rebel line, which seemed to be preparing for a change
down the slope, when, at the opportune moment,
Colonel Monroe's Kentuckians appeared on the
ridge to the left, and from the rocks on the flank and
rear of the enemy's line, opened an enfilading (ire.

At the moment of Colonel Monroe's appearance in
the fight, Lieutenant-Colonel Sheldon, who, with
twelve hundred men, had left Paintville that morning
and marched through mud and water nearly twenty
miles, appeared round a curve in the road, a few
hundred yards in the rear of Garfield's little reserve
on Graveyard Point. The advancing column sent
up a cheer of encouragement, which was caught and
repeated by the reserves, and re-echoed by their
comrades fighting on the hill.

Dr. Pomerene, the kind-hearted, enthusiastic sur-
geon of the Forty-Second, who had grown anxious
with the sight of this maiden battle, had discovered
Monroe's line streaming over the hill, and fancied
that Major Pardee's force was being surrounded.
The Twenty-Second Kentucky men wer*; uniformed
in sky blue, the first we had seen, and t rough the
foggy afternoon the good doctor mistook heir cloth-
ing for gray. Mounting a horse, hatless and distressed,
he came splashing through the mud to hurry up the
reinforcements. Coming within hail of Colonel
Sheldon, he begged him for God's sake to hurry, " or
the boys on the other side would be captured."
The men gave another cheer, tried hard to double-
quick through the mud, and promptly formed a line

152 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

across the road in the rear of the log church, where
the ground was so soft that some of the men mired,
and the line was moved up on Graveyard Point. The
effect of this new show of force was decisive, if, in-
deed, there were needed anything more to decide
the victory of that day.

Marshall, though far outnumbering his assailants,
had been out-fought from the first, and his line,
pressed hard by Pardee, began to retreat up the hill.
Inspired by the cheers of their comrades from below,
the gallant Ohioans — to whom that day's business
was the first baptism of war — pushed stubbornly
forward, driving the rebels into the ledge of broken
rocks at the summit of the hill, which position they
held until the already gathering night closed the
fight.

Colonel Sheldon promptly, upon his arrival, forded
the creek and began to climb the hill ; but before
Major Pardee's position could be reached, darkness
had settled down upon the combatants, and the bat-
tle was over.

The position not being one that could be safely or
advantageously held during the night, orders were
sent directing Monroe and Pardee to retire. They
came down the hill, carrying their wounded, crossed
the creek, and the whole of Colonel Garfield's force
was re-united for the night on Graveyard Point.
Strong pickets were posted up the road and beyond
the creek ; and notwithstanding the belief that a still
harder struggle would come on the morrow, the little
army slept proudly upon its first victory.

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 1 53

Short I v after dark a brilliant light blazed up from
behind the hill upon which the fighting had taken
place during the afternoon. What it meant could
only be guessed, until the next morning, when a re-
connoissance at daylight showed the hill abandoned,
and the enemy gone. The illumination of the night
before had come from the funeral pile upon which
Marshall had sacrificed his wagons and baggage —
everything that could impede his retreat through the
mountains to .Pound Gap, the gateway of the Cum-
berlands into Southwestern Virginia. Pursuit was,
of course, useless. With ten hours' start, a perfect
knowledge of the country, and a competent rear
guard of cavalry, the now unencumbered enemy
could have safely retreated from any pursuers, how-
ever formidable.

Colonel Garfield's little force was weary and short
of food. It had started with but two days' rations ;
the corntryaflbrded nothing, and it was necessary to
return t« the river, from which supplies could be re-
ceived. Jt remained only, therefore, to look over the
field of yesterday's fight, bury the dead, and carry
the wounded as carefully as possible to the river. A
careful survey of the ground upon which the fight
had taken place showed a remarkable disparity in
losses. On the federal side the entire loss was but
one killed and eleven wounded — eight of the lattei
being members of the Forty-Second. .

The enemy suffered far more severely. Nineteen
dead were found on the hill-side, up wnich Marshall's
men had been driven by Williams' men, and among

154 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

the rocks at the summit of the hill. The heartless
way in which the rebels disposed of their dead made
a strong impression upon the not yet callous-hearted
boys from Ohio. At one place eleven of the con-
federate dead had been tumbled down "into a large
fissure in the rocks. They were taken out by the
reconnoitering party next day, and decently buried.
A squad of the Fourteenth Kentucky still further
violated the decencies of war by stripping the corpses
of their buttons and trifling valuables. There was
abundant evidence that the confederate loss was by
no means limited to the nineteen dead soldiers found
on the hill. Seven graves were found at the foot of
the mountain, near where the baggage had been
burned. A native, whose hut was near the scene of
the burning, professed to have filled the graves dur-
ing the night, and said that they contained the bodies
of officers. From his account, not less than fifty
wounded had been carried away in wagons by the
retreating enemy.

The remarkable disparity in losses is explained by
the facts already stated. The federals had the bet-
ter weapons, they fired up hill from behind trees,
and fought from first to last with remarkable cool-
ness and skill. The scars made by their bullets on
the trees were mainly less than five feet from the
ground. The bullet marks of the rebels, on the
other hand, were wild, being often ten and twenty
feet above the ground.

On the federal side, the battle of Middle Creek
was fought by less than a thousand men. The prin-

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. I55

cipal fighting detachment was led by Captain Fred-
erick A. Williams, of Company " A," Forty-Second
Ohio, who six months before had been a student at
Hiram. If there was a single man in his command
who had ever before been under fire, that fact was
not known then and is not known to-day. Colonel
Garfield accepted battle from an enemy whom he
knew to out-number his own force by at least three
to one, and the fight was won by simply attacking
the foe promptly in his own position, making intelli-
gent use of whatever advantages the ground offered,
and fighting with steady courage and skill as long as
daylight lasted.

The Forty-Second regiment was engaged in many
bloodier and more renowned battles during its three
years of service, but it may be fairly questioned
whether the regiment ever performed a day's duty of
more timely and permanent value to the country
The battle of Middle Creek, skirmish though it may
be considered, in comparison with later contests, was
the first substantial victory won for the union cause.
At Big Bethel, Bull Run, in Missouri, and at various
points at which the union and confederate forces
had come in contact, the latter had been uniformly
victorious. The people of the North, giving" freely
of their men and their substance, in response to each
successive call of the Government, had long and
anxiously watched and waited for a little gleam of
victory to show that Northern valor was a match for
Southern impetuosity in the field. They had waited
in vain since the disaster at Bull Run, during the

I56 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

previous summer, and hope had almost yielded to
despair. The story of Garfield's success at Middle
Creek came, therefore, like a benediction to the
union cause. Though won at a trifling cost, it was
decisive, so far as concerned the purposes of that im-
mediate campaign. Marshall's force was driven from
Kentucky, and made no further attempt to occupy
the Sandy Valley. The important victories at Mill
Spring, Forts Donelson and Henry, and the repulse
at Shiloh followed. The victory at Middle Creek
proved the first wave of a returning tide."

OF GENERAL TAMES A. GARFIELD. 1 57

CHAPTER XII.

CAMPAIGNS IN KENTUCKY AND TENNESSEE,

LAi E OF PROVISIONS. — THE GREAT FLOOD. — DANGEROUS SITUATIO*
OF THE TROOPS. — GENERAL GARFIELD GOBS TO THE OHIO RIVER.
— PERILOUS VOYAGE UP THE BIG SANDY. — RECEPTION BY TBI
HUNGRY TROOPS. — EXPEDITION AGAINST THE ENEMY AT POUND
GAP. — GENERAL ORDERS CONNECTED WITH HIS CAMPAIGN. —
HI8 TRANSFER TO LOULSVILLE. — HIS NEW COMMAND. — FORCED
MARCHES. — THE BATTLE OF CORINTH. — REFUSAL TO RETURN
SLAVES TO THEIR MASTERS. — ELECTION TO CONGRESS. — APPOINT-
MENT AS CHIEF OF GENERAL ROSECRANS* 8TAFF. — BATTLE OF
CHICAMACOA. — PROMOTION TO MAJOR-GENERAL. — RESIGNATION.

The next day after establishing the brigade camp,
a heavy rain storm came on which laid a large por-
tion of Sandy Valley under water. It was impossi-
ble to march or to transport provisions over land.
The river became so swollen that the steamboats
were detained in the Ohio, and that source of supply
was also closed. It was a most alarming condition
of affairs, for it was impossible for the army to find
sufficient food in the surrounding region, even if they
transgressed the strict orders forbidding foraging.
When they had rations for two days only the puzzled
commander saw no way to save his little army from
actual starvation. If the army had been able to
march or wade through the mud, it would have been
a disobedience of orders to leave ihe country to be
again occupied by the enemy.

I58 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

In his perplexity he decided to go for provisions
himself, thinking that he might find some boat along
the river which could be brought up in such an
extremity.

But he went as far as the Ohio river before he
found one. The great flood was so powerful that no
one dared venture into its surges. He found two or
three boatmen who said that a boat had once as-
cended the Big Sandy in a flood like that, but it
was a miracle that it escaped destruction.

" Some boat must go up," said the general. " My
men shall not starve! "

He found a rickety steamboat fastened to the bank
of the stream awaiting a subsidence of the flood, and
he ordered the captain to take a load of provisions
up the river to the camp. The captain refused, say-
ing that it would be as bad as suicide to undertake
it. But Colonel Garfield insisted, and the captain and
men, thinking they might as well be drowned as be
shot for disobedience of military orders, allowed the
boat, with themselves, to be taken by the general for
the dangerous experiment. Finding no one he dared
to trust to take the wheel or who' was strong enough
to manage it in the swift current, the general him-
self took the wheel, and for two days and the greater
part of one night stood at his post. It required the
most cautious steering to avoid the projecting banks
and trees covered by the flood, and often the boat
would graze an obstruction which would have sunk
it, if it had struck near the prow.

Once the craft ran aground on a hard sandbank

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 1 59

and refused to back off when the wheel was reversed,
and the general tried to induce some of the men to
take the small boat and go on shore to fasten a rope
so that they might pull the boat off the bank by the
aid of the windlass. Not one dared tempt the ter-'
rific flood. So the general took the boat and the
rope, and at a most hazardous risk of his, life, espe-
cially so, as the river navigation was new to him, he
crossed the stream and fastened the rope.

It was a triumphant hour for him, when he saw
the crowd of his anxious troops on the river bank
awaiting his coming, and one in which he blessed
the day on which he learned to steer a canal boat

The half-famished men, who had descended in
despair to the river, believing that no boat could
stem the flood, shouted themselves hoarse, and per-
formed all kinds of childish antics, when they saw
their general skillfully steering the frail and trem-
bling river steamer. They could scarcely believe
their own eyes ; and many a night about the camp
fires the soldiers afterwards told the story of the
general's dangerous trip up the Sandy, with rations
for his hungry men.

For three months the union troops remained at
or near Piketon, often making short expeditions to
drive out stray bands of rebel marauders.

In the month of March, General Garfield deter-
mined to drive out the rebels who were posted near
Pound Gap, on the Virginia side of the Cumberland
mountains ; and with seven hundred men, including
two hundred cavalry, he made a forced march of

l60 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PURLiC SERVICES

forty miles, and encamped secretly near the enemy's
quarters. Early next morning, in a blinding snow
storm, he sent the cavalry through the Gap, while
the infantry clambered up by a difficult path to sur-
prise the rebels in the rear. He was completely
successful in surprising the post, but the rebels
scattered so fast that he captured but few of them.
They left valuable stores of amunition and provisions
behind, of which he took possession. The next day
he burned the camp and returned to his quarters. A
few days later he was ordered to report with the
greater part of his command at Louisville.

The order of General Buel, which he had thus
obeyed so implicitly and fully, was dated December
17, 1861, and reads as follows:

Head-quarters Department of the Ohio,
Louisville, Ky., December 17, 1861.
Sir: — The brigade, organized under your com-
mand, is intended to operate against the rebel force
threatening, and, .indeed, actually committing depre-
dations in Kentucky, through the valley of the Big
Sandy. The actual force of the enemy, from the best
information I can gather, does not probably exceed
two thousand, or two thousand five hundred, though
rumor places it as high as seven thousand. I can
better 'ascertain the true state of the case when ypu
get on the ground.

You are apprised of the position of the troops
under your command. Go first to Lexington and
Paris, and place the 40th Ohio regiment in such
position as will best give a moral support to the peo-
ple in the counties on the route to Prestonburg
and Piketon, and oppose any further advance of the

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. l6l

enemy on that route. Then proceed with the least
possible delay to the mouth of the Sandy, and move,
with the force in that vicinity, up that river and
drive the enemy back or cut him off. Having done
that, Piketon will probably be in the best position
for you to occupy to guard against future incursions.
Artillery will be of little, if any, service to you in
that country. If the enemy have any, it will encum-
ber and weaken, rather than strengthen them.

Your supplies must mainly be taken up the river,
and it ought to be done as soon as possible, while
the navigation is open. Purchase what you can in
the country through which you operate. Send your
requisitions to these head-quarters for funds and
advance stores, and to the Quartermasters and Com-
missary at Cincinnati for other supplies.

The conversation I have had with you will sug-
gest more details than can be given here. Report
frequently on all matters concerning your command.
Very respectfully,

Your obedient servant,

D. C. fiUEL,

Brigadier-General Commanding.

The above order was followed by a congratulatory
order, dated January 20, 1862, which reads as fol-
lows:

Head-quarters Department of the Ohio,
Louisville, Ky., January 20, 1862.

[General Orders No. 40.]

The general commanding takes occasion to thank

General Garfield and his troops for their successful

campaign against the rebel forces under General

Marshall on the Big Sandy, and their gallant con-

11

l62 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SEKVICES

duct in battle. They have overcome formidable dif-
ficulties in the character of the country, the condi-
tion of the roads, and the inclemency of the season ;
and without artillery, have, in several engagements
terminating in the battle on Middle Creek on the
ioth. inst., driven the enemy from his entrenched
positions and forced him back into the mountains
with the loss of a large amount of baggage and
stores, and many of his men killed or captured.
These services called into action the highest quali-
ties of a soldier, — fortitude, perseverance, courage."

When General Garfield arrived at Louisville, he
found that General Buel was far away in Tennessee,
hurrying to the assistance of General Grant, at Pitts-
burg Landing. So General Garfield, obedient to fresh
orders.bade a hasty farewell to his comrades, and hur-
ried on after the army. He overtook General Buel
at Columbia, Tennessee, and was at once assigned to
the command of the 20th brigade, in the division of
General T. J. Wood.

This change in his command was a great grief to
General Garfield, who had hoped to keep the Fortieth
Ohio in his brigade, and thus be with his old friends,
scholars and neighbors throughout the war. But
from that time their paths diverged, and never united
again during the entire contest.

The army, of which his new command formed a
part, made a forced march from Columbia to Savan-
nah, on the Tennessee river, and from that point
they were in great haste hurried on by boat to Pitts-
burg Landing. The battle of Shiloh had been rag-
ing for more than a day, when these reinforcements

OF GENERAL JAMES A- GARFIELD. 163

arrived. Without rest or time to enter camp they
hurried on to the field of battle, and General Garfield's
command was under fire during the final contest
which gave the victory to the federal troops.

The next day his brigade, with other forces under
General Sherman, was sent in pursuit of the retreat-
ing enemy, and a short but hotly contested battle
was fought, in which General Garfield was conspicu-
ously cool and brave.

During that tedious siege of Corinth, which fol-
lowed, his brigade was nearly all the time at the out-
posts, and was engaged often in skirmishes with the
rebels, and were with the first column that was
ordered forward when the town was evacuated by
Beauregard.

In June, 1862, his brigade was sent to repair and
protect the Memphis and Charleston railroad, be-
tween Corinth and Decatur, after which he advanced
to Huntsville, Alabama, and gained no little credit
for his skill in military engineering, connected with
the fortifications.

It has been often related of him that while in com-
mand of this brigade, a fugitive slave came rushing
into his camp, with a bloody head, and apparently
frightened almost to death. He had scarcely passed
the head-quarters, when a regular bully of a fellov
came riding up, and with a volley of oaths began to
ask after his " nigger." General Garfield was not
present, and he passed on to the division commander.
The division commander was a sympathizer with the
theory that fugitive slaves should be returned to their

164 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

masters, and that the union soldiers should be made
the instruments for returning them. He accordingly
wrote a mandatory order to General Garfield, in
whose command the darkey was supposed to be hid-
ing, telling him to hunt out and deliver over the
property of the outraged citizen. He took the order
and deliberately wrote on it the following indorse-
ment : —

" I respectively but positively decline to allow my
command to search for or deliver up any fugitive
slaves. I conceive that they are here for quite
another purpose. The command is open, and no ob-
stacles will be placed in the way of search."

The indorsement frightened his staff officers, and
they expected that, if returned, the result would be
that the general would be court-martialed. He
simply replied, "The matter may as well be tested
first as last. Right is right, and I do not propose to
mince matters at all. My soldiers are here for other
purposes than hunting and returning fugitive slaves.
My people, on the Western Reserve of Ohio, did not
send my boys and myself down here to do that kind
of business, and they will back me up in my action."
He would not alter the indorsement, and the order
was returned. Nothing ever came of the matter
further.

June 15 th, General Garfield was detailed tc sit in
a trial by court-martial of a lieutenant of the Fifty-
Eighth Indiana volunteers. His skill in that case,
combined with his memory of judicial decisions,
caused the officers, sitting with him in the court,

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 1 65

to commend him for his signal ability in such mat-
ters. On July 5th, he was again detailed to act as
president of the important court-martial detailed to
try Colonel Turchin, of the Nineteenth Illinois. Of
that court, General Garfield's adjutant-general, Cap-
tain P. T. Swain, acted as judge advocate.

July 30th, he was given a leave of absence, owing
to the return of the fever and ague, which had not
disturbed him until that season, from the spring
when he left the canal. For two months he lay at
Hiram, dangerously sick, and several important com-
mands were offered him, which his illness compelled
him to decline. It was during this summer that he
paid for the small wooden dwelling in Hirani, which
was afterwards his home.

As soon as he was able to travel he was ordered
by the Secretary of War to report to the War De-
partment, at Washington. This he did about the
25th of September. His fame as a jurist in martial
trials had reached Washington, and he was ordered
to sit on the court of inquiry in the case of General
McDowell. At one time he was ordered to proceed
to South Carolina, with General Hunter, but circum-
stances intervened to keep them in Washington.

November 25, 1862, he was made a member of the
court in the celebrated trial of General Fitz-John
Porter for the failure to co-operate with General
Pope, at the battle of Bull Run. At that trial he
had a delicate and important duty to perform, and
did his work with sucn wisdom as to secure the un-

l66 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

solicited compliment from its president that "he
must have been a great lawyer in Ohio."

. During his engagements at Washington, he was
called home by the illness and death of his only
child. It was a sad blow to a heart so tender as his ,
and it is said of him that while he held the body ot
the sweet little child in his arms, after its death, he
remarked how inappropriate to everything about him
was his military uniform, and of how little conse-
quence, compared with the love and peace of a happy
home, were the honors which men could bestow.

While he was at home, in the months of August
and September, as already stated, and confined to his
bed, there was no little agitation going on in that
congressional district, over a successor to the re-
nowned anti-slavery champion, Joshua R. Giddings.
The excitement was caused by the fact that Mr
Giddings had been defeated in the nominating con-
vention, two years before, by some means, and his
friends laid all the blame on the successful candidate.
They therefore determined upon preventing the re-
nomination of Mr. Giddings' successor. In their
canvas for a candidate who would be sure to carry
the convention, as there was no hope that the healtn
of Mr. Giddings would admit of his return to Con-
gress, even if he could have left his post as consul
general of Canada, they hit upon General Garfield,
who at that time was recovering, but whose return to
the malarial districts was considered dangerous. His
name was one which was sure to overcome any com-
bination or opposition. It does not appear that they

OF GENERAL JAMES A GARFIELD. 1 67

consulted with General Garfield at all, but very care-
fully concealed their design, both from him and the
opposition. On the presentation of his name to the
Republican congressional convention, in September,
it was received with all the enthusiasm that the
friends of the measure had expected. He was the
single man on the " Western Reserve " against
whom it would be a farce to make any opposition.

The movement did not at first meet with General
Garfield's approval, and he reserved his decision
whether he should refuse the honor, until he could
confer with President Lincoln. His pay as a general
was much larger than that of a congressman ; he
had entered the war to stay, and he disliked to leave
it.

On the other hand, his health might break down
if he returned to the South, and it was probable that
the war would be closed in the year which would in-
tervene between his election and the opening of the
Congress to which he would be chosen.

When he visited the President, and told him the
circumstances, Mr. Lincoln bluntly remarked that
there were generals enough already and plenty more
to be had, but the number of congressmen who un-
derstood the needs of the country were few, and if
the rebellion continued, it was likely to be lessened
by the death or enlistment of good men. Other
members oT the Cabinet giving him the same advice,
he silently acquiesced in the nomination, and was
elected with unheard of unanimity.

In January he had so far recovered that he was

1 68 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

ordered into thefield, and directed to report to Gen-
eral Rosecrans, at Murfreesboro'. Immediately after
his arrival he was appointed chief of staff to General
Rosecrans, then commanding the army of the Cum-
berland.

The writer of the history of the Forty-Second
Ohio regiment, whose sources of information were
so trustworthy, and whose gilts as a writer were so
apparent as to lead to his selection, by that regiment
of students, as their historian, wrote, in 1875, of
General Garfield's share in the campaigns of the
army of the Cumberland, as follows :

" He was assigned to duty as chief of staff of the
army of the Cumberland, in place of the lamented
Colonel Garesche, who had been killed in the battle
of Stone river. Early in the spring of that year
Captain D. G. Swain, his adjutant-general since the
previous April, was directed to organize a Bureau of
Military Information. By a system of police and
scout reports, very full and trustworthy information
was obtained of the organization, strength, and posi-
tion of the enemy's forces.

Early in June the general commanding required
each general of a corps and division of the army of
the Cumberland, to report his opinions, in writing, in
reference to an early or immediate advance against
the forces of General Bragg. Seventeen general
officers submitted written opinions on Aat subject.
Most of them were adverse to any early movement,
and nearly all advised against an immediate advance.
General Garfield presented to the commanding gen-

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 169

eral an analysis and review of these opinions, and
urged an immediate movement against the enemy.
For more than five months the army of Rosecrans
had lain inactive at Murfreesboro', while the com-
manding general had haggled and bandied words
with the War Department As chief of staff, General
Garfield did all that adroit diplomacy could t do to
soften these asperities, and meanwhile give all his
energy to the work of preparing the army for an ad-
vance, and ascertaining the strength of the enemy.

His Bureau of Military Information was the most
perfect machine of the kind organized in the field
during the war. When at last June came, the Gov-
ernment and the people demanding an advance, and
the seventeen subordinate generals of Rosecrans
advising against it, the analysis of the situation
drawn up and submitted by General Garfield, met
and overthrew them all. Speaking 01 this letter,
Mr. Whitelaw Reid in his ' Ohio in the War/ says :
1 This report we venture to pronounce the ablest
military document known to have been submitted by
a chief of staff to his superior during the war.'
This is high praise, but it is history.

Twelve days after it was submitted, the army
moved, — against the will and opinion of General
Crittenden and nearly all Rosecrans' leading officers.
It marched into the Tullahoma campaign, one of the
most perfectly planned and ably executed movements
of the war. The lateness of the start, caused by the
objections which General Garfield's letter finally
overcame, alone saved Bragg's army from destruction.

I70 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

There was a certain work to do, which might as well
have been begun on the 1st of June as the 24th.
Had it been begun on the first of these dates, Bragg's
army might, in all probability, have been destroyed.
As it was, the heavy rains intervened and saved him
from pursuit.

- With his military reputation thus strengthened,
General Garfield went with his chief into the battle
of Chickamauga. His influence over Rosecrans hrd
by this time become almost supreme. His clear
and comprehensive mind grasped every detail, and
his opinions were invariably consulted on all impor-
tant questions. He wrote many orders upon his
own judgment, submitting them to Rosecrans for
approval or alteration. On the field of Chickamauga,
he wrote every order except one, and that one was
the fatal order to General Wood which ruined Rose-
crans' right wing and lost the battle. The order
from Rosecrans to Wood, as the latter interpreted it,
required him to move his command behind another
division, leaving a wide gap in the line of McCook's
corps, which held the right. Wood says that he
knew this move would be fatal, but it was ordered
and he felt impelled to execute it. Longstreet saw
'ae blunder, hurled Hood's division into the gap,
and within an hour McCook's corps was broken and
streaming, a disorganized mob of men, back to Chat-
tanooga. Trying vainly to check the tide of retreat,
General Garfield was swept with his chief back be-
yond Rossville. But the chief of staff could not
concede that defeat had been entire. He heard the

Plan of Chickamauga Battle-Field

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. I7I

roar of Thomas' guns on the left, and gained per-
mission of Rosecrans to go round to that quarter and
find the army of the Cumberland. While the com-
mander busied himself with preparing a refuge at
Chattanooga for his routed army, his chief of staff
went back, accompanied only by a staff officer and a
few orderlies, to find whatever part of the army still
held its ground, and save what there was left. It was
a perilous ride. Long before he reached Thomas one
of his orderlies was killed. Almost alone he pushed
on over the obstructed road, through pursuers and
pursued, found the heroic Thomas encircled by
fire, but still firm, told him of the disaster on the
right, and explained how he could withdraw his right
wing and fix it upon a new line to meet Longstreet's
column, which had turned the right of Thomas' position
and was marching in heavy column upon his rear. The
movement was made just in time; but Thomas' line
was too short, it would not reach to the base of the
mountain. Longstreet saw the gap, drove his column
into it and would have struck Thomas' line fatally in
the rear, but in that critical moment General Gordon
Granger came up with Steadman's division, which
moved in heavy column, threw itself upon Long-
street, and after a terrific struggle, drove him back.
The dead and wounded lay in heaps where those two
columns met, but the army oi General Thomas was
saved. As night closed in upon the heroic army of
the Cumberland, Generals Garfield and Grander,
on foot and enveloped in smoke, directed the loading
and pointing of a battery of Napoleon guns, whose

1 72 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

flash, as they thundered after the retreating column
of the assailants, was the last light that shown upon
ths battle field of Chickamauga. The struggle was
over, and the rebels retired repulsed. Had the two
shattered corps of McCook and Crittenden that night
been brought upon the field and enabled Thomas to
hold his ground, there might have been a second
day to that battle which would have changed its
complexion in history.

The battle of Chickamauga practically closed
General Garfield's military career. About four weeks
after the engagement he was sent by Rosecrans to
Washington to report minutely to the President and
the War Department the position, deeds, resources,
and capabilities of the army at Chattanooga. He
went, had frequent lengthy interviews with the
President and Secretary Stanton, and thus, point by
point, made a most thorough and satisfactory report.
Meanwhile, General Garfield had been promoted to
a major-generalship of volunteers 'for gallant and
meritorious services at the battle of Chickamauga,'
to take rank from the 19th of September, 1863.
Rosecrans had been removed from the command of
the army at Chattanooga and General Grant appointed
to his place.

General Garfield was now called to a new field of
duty. In October of the year previous, while the
Forty-Second was retreating from Cumberland Gap,
the people of the Nineteenth Congressional Distiict
of Ohio had elected him as their representative to
the Thirty-Eighth Congress.

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 1 73

He was a major-general, young, popular in the
army, and in high favor at Washington ; he was poor,
and his army pay was double the slender salary of a
Congressman, but he had been chosen by the people
of his district as their representative inder circum-
stances which in his judgment would not permit him
to decline the trust. General Thomas offered him
the command of a corps ; but Lincoln urged him to
resign his commission and come to Congress. The
President was strenuous, and his advice prevailed.
There was no want of major-generals, but there was
need of all the real, courage and ability that could
be assembled in Congress. So his friends argued,
and the sequel proved the wisdom of their demand
upon him. Yielding to this, he resigned his com-
mission on the 5th of December. 1863, having served
in the army more than a year after his election to
Congress, and took his seat on the same day in the
House of Representatives, where he has been in
continuous service since that day.

The influence of General Garfield upon the Forty-
Second regiment was unbounded. As colonel, not
less than as professor and principal of a collegiate
school, he evinced a rare and extraordinary power
in controlling, interesting and inspiring young men.
It was due largely to his enthusiastic efforts that the
regiment was made up of some of the best material
that Ohio sent into the field. The careful, laborious
education, the discipline, the quickening of individual
self-respect that the regiment underwent at his
hands while in Camp Chase, were never lost upon its

174 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

men. Long after he had gone to other duties, the
recollection of his words was a source of inspiration
to the men ; and as they went into their first fight at
Middle Creek, against overwhelming numbers, with
serene confidence, because their trusted colonel had
sent them, so afterwards they fought and marched as
though conscious that the eye of their first com-
mander was still upon them."

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 1 75

CHAPTER XIII.

REVIEW OF HIS MILITARY CAREER.

FTTNES8 FOR MILITARY AFFAIRS. — HOW HE BECAME FAMILIAR WITH
INFANTRY TACTICS. — CARRIES THE CHIEF CHARACTERISTICS OF
HIS BOYHOOD INTO ARMY LIFE. — HIS ENOWLEDGE OF LAW. — MIL-
ITARY TRIALS. — THE TULLAHOMA CAMPAIGN. — HIS ABILITY AS AH
ENGINEER. — HIS GREAT PLAN FOR AN ONWARD MOVEMENT FROM
KCRFREESBORO*. — HIS OFFICLX.L REPORT. — COMPLIMENT FROM
GENERAL ROSECRAN3. — HIS RESIGNATION.

Glancing back upon General Garfield's military
career, with the accumulated facts of history adding
their testimony to the high estimate made of him in
1863, the most conservative writer must be aston-
ished at the ability displayed by him. It will also
appear, that while the fact that the Secretary of War
was from Ohio, and might be predisposed to observe
the merits of a soldier from the same State, yet all
the promotions which came to him were clearly and
undisputedly deserved by him, and for the national
good He had a natural fitness, in some way, for
military affairs. He seemed to be experienced in &J1
the emergencies that met him ; and everywhere acted,
as his associates testify, "like an old soldier."

It is interesting to note how much of this success
and appearance of familiarity was due to his early
habits. He had accustomed himself to occupy all his

I76 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

time in some profitable work or study. He had, from
the time he possessed but one book to study, schooled
himself to thoroughly understand whatever he was
given to learn.

Place these two characteristics together, and notice
its bearing on his military usefulness. A scrutiny of
the history of tliose early days of the war shows that
he began to study military works as early as his days
in the Senate of Ohio ; and that from the day that
Governor Dennison notified him of his appointment
as a lieutenant-colonel, he bent his whole energy to-
ward gaining an understanding of the art and rules
of war He applied himself closely to the practice
of infantry tactics, and studied intently the directions
for movements in regimental, battalion, and brigade
drill. When his regiment began to assemble at
Camp Chase, near Columbus, he was able to estab-
lish an officer's school, and to teach the most import-
ant matters himself. His confidence in himself came
from his consciousness of having thoroughly mas-
tered the subject. He studied military engineering
in the same manner ; and from that went to the plans
of successful campaigns made by great soldiers of the
past.

To those must be added the other prominent marks
in his character, and a solution of his sudden rise is
explained. The same active and obedient imagina-
tion, which in his boyhood turned the orchard trees
into Indian chiefs, made the fields of wheat a host of
buccaneers, and the bowing young maples an atten-
tive audience, served him in his study of military

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 177

movements, by supplying him with squads and regi-
ments to drill, which were invisible to the natural
eye and even to the imagination of many persons in
his situation. He could give the orders and see the
evolutions, and this mental practice made his appear-
ance on his first trial seem like that of a veteran.

But combined with all the traits already mentioned
was that sterling truthfulness, which has been men-
tioned as a characteristic of his boyhood. It won
for him the respect of his superiors and the love of
his inferiors. His word was implicitly trusted. To
this known characteristic was due, in a great meas-
ure, the confidence which was placed in the Bureau
of Information, which was managed by Major Swain,
under General Garfield's direction. He misrepre-
sented nothing. He over-estimated nothing. Be-
fore him the lying scouts, spies, fugitives, slaves and
captives seemed to be in awe of his integrity ; and,
as one of his staff has said, " he impelled them to
tell the truth by the very force of his presence and
example." The information he obtained of the ene-
my's movements and numbers was so correct that
great armies moved on to victories, led by his direc-
tions.

His thorough knowledge of law and his adminis-
trative ability, combined with the traits already men-
tioned, caused his words and decisions to be respect- f
ed in martial courts. He had been thorough and
honest with himself in his studies, and one who ia
honest and sincere with himself is honest and sin-

12

178 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

cere with all the world. It is a rule that works both
ways.

But the crown of all his military achievements,
and one which our successful general have all pro-
nounced to be a masterly stroke of military genius,
is found in his plan of the Tullahoma campaign,
from Murfreesboro', by the army of the Cumberland.
All testify that, had General Rosecrans moved at
once, instead of hesitating to hear the advice of
other generals, who ' opposed it, General Bragg's
command must have been captured, and the rebel-
lion cut in twain, a year before Sherman marched to
the sea.

As it was, the campaign was an important and
successful movement, and gave our armies many
advantages in the movements which Grant after-
wards made.

Whitelaw Reid, in his great work on " Ohio in the
War," has printed entire the paper submitted by
General Garfield to the commanding general, at that
time, and it deserves a place in every biography of
General Garfield.

General Rosecrans had been waiting five months
for a favorable opportunity to attack General Bragg,
and had many foolish quarrels with the War Depart-
ment on account of his delay and strenuous demands
for cavalry and stores. But, at last, under the urgent
advice of General Garfield, his chief of staff, he
asked the advice of the generals in command of
divisions in the army of the Cumberland, about an
advance. All advised against it. General Garfield

OF GENERAL JAMES A GARFIELD. 1 79

was in favor of an immediate move, and gave his
reasons for it His advice was taken, with the good
results already mentioned. The -document gives
such an insight into the condition of affairs, and
exhibits so strikingly General Garfield's customary
'caution, foresight, and logical arrangement, that it i
given entire.

HEAD-QUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE CUMBERLAND.

Murfreesboro', Jane 12, 1864.

General : — In your confidential letter of the 8th inst. , to the corps
and division commanders and generals of cavalry, of this army, there
were substantially five questions propounded, for their consideration
and answer, viz. :

1. Has the enemy of our front been materially weakened by de-
tachments to Johnston, or elsewhere ?

2. Can this army advance on him at this time, with strong, reason*
able chances of fighting a great and successful battle ?

3. Do you think an advance of our army at present likely to pre-
vent additional reinforcements being sent against General Grant by
the enemy in our front ?

4. Do you think an immediate advance of the army advisable ?

5. Do you think an early advance advisable ?

Many of the answers to these questions are not categorical, and
cannot be clearly set down either as affirmative or negative. Espe-
cially in answer to the first question there is much indefiniteness, re-
sulting from the difference of judgment as to how great a detachment
could be considered a " material reduction of Bragg's strength." For
example, one officer thinks it has been reduced ten thousand, and not
4 materially weakened."

The answers to the second question are modified, in some instances,
by the opinion that the rebels will fall back behind the Tennessee
river, and thus no battle can be fought, either successful or unsuc-
cessful.

So far as these opinions can be stated, in tabular form, they will
stand thus : —

Yes.

No.

6

II

2

II

4

10

*5

2

l80 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

Answer to first question, . * ,

Answer to second question, . . .

Answer to third question, . . .

Answer to tourth question, , . ,

Answer to fifth question, .
On the fifth question, three gave it as their opinion that this army
ought to advance as soon as Vicksburg falls, should that event hap-
pen. The following is a summary of the reasons assigned why we
should not, at this time, advance upon the enemy : ■ —

1. With Hooker's army defeated, and Grant's bending all its ener-
gies in a yet undecided struggle, it is bad policy to risk our only re-
serve army to the chances of a general engagement. A failure here
would have most disastrous effect on our lines of communication, and
on politics in the loyal States.

2. We should be compelled to fight the enemy on his own ground,
or follow him in a fruitless chase ; or, if we attempted to out-flank
him and turn his position, we should expose our line of communica-
tion, and run the risk of being pushed back into a rough country, well-
known to the enemy and little to ourselves.

3. In case the enemy should fall back without accepting battle, he
could make our advance very slow, and with a comparatively small
force posted in the gaps of the mountains, could hold us back while he
crossed the Tennessee river, where he would be measurably secure,
and free to send reinforcements to Johnston.

His forces in East Tennessee could seriously harrass our left flank
and constantly disturb our communications.

4. The withdrawal of Burnside's ninth army corps deprives us of
an important reserve and flank protection, thus increasing the difficulty
of an advance.

5. General Hurlburt has sent the most of his force away to Gener-
al Grant, thus leaving West Tennessee uncovered, and laying our
right flank and rear open to raids of the enemy v

The following incidental opinions are expressed: —

1. One officer thinks it probable that the enemy has been strength-
ened, rather than weakened, and that he (the enemy) would have
reasonable prospect of victory in a general battle.

2. One officer believes the result of a general battle would be
doubtful, a victory barren, and a defeat most disastrous.

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. l8l

3. Three officers believe that an advance would bring on a general
engagement. Three others believe it would not.

4. Two officers express the opinion that the chances of success in
a general battle are nearly equal.

5. One officer expresses the belief that our army has reached its
maximum strength and efficiency, and that inactivity will seriously im-
pair its effectiveness.

6. Two officers say that an increase of our cavalry, by about six
thousand men, would materially change the aspect of our affairs, and
give us a decided advantage.

In addition to the above summary, I have the honor to submit an
estimate of the strength of Bragg's army, gathered from all the data
I have been able to obtain, including the estimate of the general com-
manding, in his official report of the battle of Stone river, and facta
gathered from prisoners, deserters and refugees, and from rebel news-
papers. After the battle, Bragg consolidated many of his decimated
regiments and irregular organizations ; and at the time of his sending
reinforcements to Johnston, his army had reached the greatest effective
strength. It consisted of five divisions of infantry, composed of
ninety-four regiments, and two independent battalions of sharp-shoot-
ers.— say ninety regiments. By a law of the confederate Congress,
regiments are consolidated when their effective strength falls below
two hundred and fifty men. Even the regiments formed by such con-
solidation (which may reasonably be regarded as the fullest) must fall
below five hundred. I am satisfied that four hundred is a large esti-
mate of the average strength.

The force, then, would be : —

Infantry, 95 regiments, 400 each, ... 38,000
Cavalry, 35 regiments, say, 500 each, , . . 17,500
Artillery, 26 batteries, say 100 each, . . . 2,600

Total, -. 58,600

This force has been reduced by detachments to Johnston. It is as
well known as we can ever expect to ascertain such facts, that three
brigades have gone from McConn's division, and two or three from
Breckinridge's, — say rwo It is clear tha* there are now but four
infantry divisions in Bragg's army, the tourth being composed of
fragments of McConn's and Breckinridge's divisions, and must be
much smaller than the average. Deducting the five brigades, and

1 82 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

supposing them composed of only four regiments each, which is below
the general average, it gives an infantry reduction of twenty regiments,
four hundred each — eight thousand — leaving a remainder of thirty
thousand. It is clearly ascertained that at least two brigades of cav-
alry have been sent from Van Dom's command to the Mississippi, and
it is asserted in the Chattanooga Rebel, of June nth, that General
Morgan's command has been permanently detached and sent to East-
ern Kentucky. It is not certainly known how large his division is,
but it is known to contain at least two brigades. Taking this mini-
mum as the fact, we have a cavalry reduction of four brigades.

Taking the lowest estimate, four regiments to the brigade, we have
a reduction, by detachment, of sixteen regiments, five hundred each,
leaving his present effective cavalry force nine thousand five hundred.
With the nine brigades of the two arms thus detached, it will be safe
to say there have gone, —

Six batteries, 80 men each, 480

Leaving him 20 batteries, 2,120

Making a total reduction of . . • . 16,480

Leaving, of the three arms, 41,680

In this estimate of Bragg's strength, I have placed all doubts in his
favor, and I have no question that my estimate is considerably beyond
the truth. General Sheridan, who has taken great pains to collect
evidence on this point, places it considerably below these figures. But
assuming these to be correct, and granting what is still more improba-
ble, that Bragg would abandon all his rear posts, and entirely neglect
his communications, and could bring his last man into battle, I next
ask : What have we with which to oppose him ?

The last official report of effective strength, now on file in the office
of the assistant adjutant general, is dated from June nth, and shows
that we have in this department, omitting all officers and enlisted men
attached to department, corps, division and brigade head-quarters : —

1. Infantry — One hundred and seventy- three regiments ; ten bat-
talions sharp-shooters ; four battalions pioneers ; and one regiment of
engineers and mechanics, with a total effective strength of seventy
thousand nine hundred and eighteen.

2. Cavalry — Twenty-stven regiments and one unattachee com-
pany, eleven thousand, eight hundred and thirteen.

3. Artillery — Forty-seven and a half batteries field artillery, con-

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 183

sisting of two hundred and ninety-two guns and five hundred and
sixty-nine men, making a general total of eighty-seven thousand eight
hundred .

Leaving out all commissioned officers, this army represents eighty-
two thousand seven hundred and sixty-seven bayonets and sabers.
This report does not include the Fifth Iowa cavalry, six hundred
strong, lately armed ; nor the First Wisconsin cavalry ; nor Coburn's
brigade of infantry, now arriving ; nor the two thousand three hundred
and ninety-four convalescents, now on light duty in " Fortress Mon-
roe.'*

There are detached from this force aa follows : —

At Galatin, ....... 969

At Carthage, 1.149

At Fort Donelson, 1,485

At Clarkesville, 1,138

At Nashville, ....... 7,292

At Franklin, 900

At Lavergne, ....... 2,117

Total, 15,130

With these posts as they are, and leaving two thousand five hundred
efficient men, in addition to the two thousand three hundred and
ninety-four convalescents, to hold the works at this place, there will
be left sixty-five thousand one hundred and thirty-seven bayonets and
sabers to show, against Bragg's forty-one thousand six hundred and
eighty.

I beg leave, also, to submit the following considerations : —

1, Bragg's army is weaker now than it has been since the battle of
Stone river, or is likely to be, at present, while our army has reached
its maximum strength, and we have no right to expect reinforcements
for several months, if at alL

2. Whatever be the result at Vicksburg, the determination of its
fate will give large reinforcements to Bragg. If Grant is successful,
his army will require many weeks to recover from the shock and strain
of his late campaign, while Johnston will send back to Bragg a force
sufficient to insure the safety of Tennessee. If Grant fails, the sam*
result will inevitably follow, so far as Bragg's army is concerned.

I84 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

3. No man can predict, with a certainty, the results of any battle,
however great the disparity in numbers. Such results are in the hand
of God. But, reviewing the question in the light ol human calcula-
tion, I refuse to entertain a doubt that this army, which in January
last defeated Bragg's superior numbers, cannot overwhelm his present
greatly inferior forces.

4. The most unfavorable course for us that Bragg could take, would
be to fall back without giving us battle ; but this would be very disas-
trous to him. Besides the loss of material of war, and the abandon-
ment of the rich and abundant harvest, now nearly ripe in Central
Tennessee, he would lose heavily by desertion. It is well known that
a wide-spread dissatisfaction exists among his Kentucky and Tennes-
see troops. They are already deserting in large numbers. A retreat
would greatly increase both the desire and the opportunity for deser-
tion, and would very materially reduce his physical and moral strength.
While it would lengthen our communication, it would give us posses-
sion of McMinnville, and enable us to threaten Chattanooga and East
Tennessee ; and it would not be unreasonable to expect an early occu-
pation of the former place.

5 But the chances are more than even that a sudden and rapid
movement would compel a general engagement, and the defeat of
Bragg would be, in the highest degree, disastrous to the rebellion.

6. The turbulent aspect of politics in the loyal States renders a
decisive blow against the enemy, at this time, of the highest import-
ance to the success of the government at the polls, and in the enforce-
ment of the Conscript Act.

7. The government and the War Department believe that this army
ought to move upon the enemy. The army desire it, and the country
is anxiously hoping for it.

8. Our true objective point is the rebel army, whose last reservea
are substantially in the field, and an effective blow will crush the shell,
and soon be followed by the collapse of the rebel government.

9. You have, in my judgment, wisely delayed a general movement
hitherto, till your army could be massed, and your cavalry could be
mounted. Your mobile force can now be concentrated in twenty four
hours, and your cavalry, if not equal in numerical strength to that of
the enemy, is greatly superior in efficiency and morale. For this rea-

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. l8$

son I believe an immediate advance of all oar available forces is ad-
visable, and, under the providence of God, will be successful.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
J. A. GARFIELD,

Brigadier-General, Chief of Staff.
Major- General Rosecrans,

Commanding Dep't. Cumberland.

That the estimate which this biography has placed
upon the character of General Garfield may not seem
to be overdrawn, the following testimony given by a
writer at Zenia, Ohio, in the autumn of 1862, is in-
serted in these pages :

" We have known General James A. Garfield for'
several years, and entertain for him the highest
personal regard. He is one of the most eloquent
men in Ohio, as well as one of the ripest scholars.
Socially and morally he has no superior. He is
popular with all, as the attachment of his scholars, as
well as his soldiers, for him demonstrates.

In respect to abilities, nature has by no means
been unfriendly to him ; and he has neither despised
nor slighted her gifts. A severe course of mental
training, combined with the mental practice obtained
by presiding over one of the colleges of Ohio, has
fully developed his natural endowments.

Above ^11 these considerations, everv one respects
General Garfield for his stern, unyielding, uncom-
promising patriotism. The permanent good of his
country, the restoration of its unity, and the perpet-
uation of the national power and glory through all
coming time, are the objects which he keeps steadily
in view."

For more than a year after his election to Congress,
General Garfield kept the field, and without flinching

1 86 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

endured the severest tests which come to the soldier
in war. He lost no time and shirked no hardships.
He bravely entered the most dangerous lines of
battle when his duty called him there, and the num-
ber of men killed at his side, and horses wounded or
killed under him, attest his proximity to the enemy.

In General Rosecran's official report of the battle
of Chickamaugahe bears testimony to General Gar-
field's soldierly qualities and said :

"To Brigadier-General James A. Garfield, chief
of staff. I am especially indebted for the clear and
ready manner in which he seized the points of action
and movement, and expressed in orders the ideas of
the general commanding."

To this testimony the War Department put its seal
by issuing to him a commission as major-general
dated the day of that great battle.

On December 5 th, a few weeks after the battle and
after General Rosecrans was relieved, General Gar-
field resigned his commission and immediately took
his seat in Congress. At the time he resigned, he
felt that he was needed in Congress ; yet, his unwill-
ingness to leave the service, nearly overcome his res-
olution to take his seat in the House of Represen-
tatives, and in November, before he left the army, he
wrote to the President that were it not for the strong
belief he had that the war would close within a few
months, he should remain with the army.

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 1 87

CHAPTER XIV.

SERVICE AS A LEGISLATOR.

1 NEW FTELD. — THE HIGHEST TEST OT HUMAN GREATNESS. — THE
AMERICAN CONGRESS. — FREQUENT FAILURES OF NOTED MSN. —
THE TRIALS OF THAT CRISIS. — PLACED ON THE MILITARY COMMIT-
TER — THE STYLE OF HIS SPEECHES. — HIS INDUSTRY. — HIS RFPLY
TO MR. LONG. — AN IMPROMPTU SPEECH. — THE COMPLIMENTS OF
OLD MEMBERS.

Hitherto we have noted the career of a man who,
notwithstanding his surprising success, was neverthe-
less a man among men, finding often his equal in the
work which he had chosen. His childhood, youth,
and army experience were such as to entitle him to
the praise and thanks of the people, but thus far in
common with many others.

Thousands of boys have chopped wood, boiled salts,
and drove canal horses and mules, and have
succeeded in life, notwithstanding such humble be-
ginnings. If it were not so, the history of his career
would be a drawback rather than an encouragement
to American youths.

But now our record enters upon a higher plain,
where the number of remarkable successes is far less
and where many prosperous lives find their final
level. In the legislative halls of a mighty nation

1 88 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

the ability and integrity of men find their severest
tests. They may have enjoyed unlimited success
from their cradle to the oath of office, but it is no
guarantee of usefulness or fame in such a body as the
American Congress. Great soldiers, with the scars
of many battles and the fame of mighty conquerors,
have entered the doors of the Capitol amid the ap-
plause of an idolizing constituency, and have been
immediately lost from sight, and soon from notice.
Distinguished lawyers whose acquaintances regarded
them as giants in the intellectual world, seem to become
helpless and worthless as soon as they are lost in the
crowd of talented men who gather at the Capitol.
Scholars, poets, mathematicians, professors, preachers,
railroad presidents, bankers, merchants, discoverers,
inventors and millionaires, enter the legislative cham-
bers with brilliant reputations and under the impetus
of some great deed, only to be hid in a political fog,
where they sit for a while* in silent helplessness, and
go home without a sign of welcome or approval.

The story of Gen. Garfield's success in the legisla-
tive department of the American nation, is the most
interesting and the most remarkable part of the his-
tory of his life. We have already seen how his
qualities as a young man commended him to the
respect and attention of the Senate of Ohio, and we
shall see how quickly those same qualities lifted him
above the mass of congressmen, and brought him
into the notice of the nation.

It must not be considered by the reader that,
because General Garfield was known to the Presi-

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 1 89

dent, and to some of the great captains of our army,
and was loved and honored by the people of the
Western Reserve, that he was known in the House
of Representatives. There were hundreds of gener-
als in the field whose names were far better known
than that of Rosecrans' chief of staff. There were
generals in the House of Representatives who had
seen severer service, and whose deeds had been far
wider proclaimed. There were old statesmen there
whose hairs had grown white in the service of the
nation. There were scholars of the highest reputa-
tion, and orators whose words had become classic.
Not a score of the whole assembly knew him by
sight, or could recall his place of residence or past
services when his name was called.

It was a new start in life. In Congress, as in the
back woods, he must overcome difficulties and fight
his way alone. To win distinction there he must be
something more than daring, truthful, and industri-
ous ; he must possess that peculiar combination of
strong talents and intellectual acuteness to which
men somewhat vaguely apply the term, " greatness."
To be eminently great in a nation of great men, and
in a time when especial circumstances combined to
develop and disclose human nobility, required mas-
terly talents and incessant watchfulness. To be of
unusual service to humanity and of exceptional value
to a nation, when twenty-five millions of people were
striving, at a fever heat, to do the same thing, is
something of which a man has reason to be proud.
Such is General Garfield's record He entered upon

190 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

his duties in Congress at a time when there were
foes within and foes without ; when a strong army
threatened the nation in the Southern States, and
Great Britain menaced it from the ocean ; when the
finances of the government were getting into an
almost inextricable snarl ; when the people were
searching for their greatest men, for councillors in
the nation's peril and distress ; and when it required
fortitude, wisdom and patriotism above the common
order, to provide securely for the nation's future.

For this work, General Garfield was well endowed
by nature and education. He was a ready speaker,
— apt, elegant, pointed, vehement. He had all the
scholarship of the colleges, and more to draw upon.
He had the practice of cultured public speaking.
He had the experience of war, and a course of
extensive reading from which to draw forcible and
illuminating illustrations. He had all the physical
characteristics of dignity, strength, countenance and
voice, which are so useful in the public forum.
Thus he was well equipped for a place in a deliberate
assembly. But the growth of a member's influence,
under the most favorable circumstances, is slow.
He could not be a leader there until he had again
and again displayed his ability for the post. He
does not appear to have aspired to leadership ; but,
from the first day of the session, set himself with
stubborn purpose at the task of securing a complete
Knowledge of the rules and history of Congress.

Then followed a study of the resources of the
nation in men and money, and of the history of

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. I9I

other countries, whose experience could throw any
light, or give any suggestion to statesmen, in the
complicated and perplexing trials of the union. His
habits of incessant study served him well, and he
always had a book in his hand or in his pocket, for
use in any spare moment His astonishing readi-
ness in congressional debates upon any question of
commerce, manufactures, finance, revenue, interna-
tional law, or whatever came up, can be accounted
for by this industrious habit Never idle himself,

CAPITOL AT WASHINGTON.

and assisted by his wife, as only a talented, patient
and affectionate woman of her unusual gifts can as-
sist a man of letters, he steadily and heartily assisted
the measures he thought were wise and good, and
earnestly, and sometimes excitedly, opposed those
actions which he deemed to be pernicious and
wrong.

He was given a place at once, upon his entry into
Congress, on the very important committee on mil-

I92 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

itary affairs. His colleagues bear testimony to his
activity, industry and efficiency, from the very begin-
ning of his term. His speeches were often models
of graceful oratory, and yet have about them none
of that objectional air of conceit which would sug-
gest that the speaker delivered them for any other
purpose but to convince.

Early in the Thirty-eighth Congress, in which Mr.
Garfield first made his appearance as a congressman,
Mr. Alexander Long of Ohio, made a long and
labored argument, to show that it was useless to try
further to coerce the South. The tendency of Mr.
Long's speech was to encourage the rebellion and
censure the patriots who attempted to preserve the
union. To that speech General Garfield replied,
without preparation, having taken the floor immedi-
ately upon the completion of Mr. Long's address.

" Mr. Chairman," said he, " I should be obliged to
you if you would direct the sergeant-at-arms to bring
a white flag and plant it in the aisle between myself
and my colleague who has just addressed you.

I recollect on one occasion when two great armies
stood face to face, that under a white flag just planted
I approached a company of men dressed in the uni-
form of the rebel confederacy and reached out my
hand to one of the number and told him I respected
him as a brave man. Though he wore the emblems
of disloyalty and treason, still, underneath his vest-
ments, I beheld a brave and honest soul.

I would reproduce that scene here this afternoon,
I say, were there such a flag of truce, — but God for-

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 1 93

give me if I should do it under any other circum-
stances ! I would reach out this right hand and ask
that gentleman to take it, because I honor his brav-
ery and his honesty. I believe what has just fallen
from his lips is the honest sentiment of his heart;
and, in uttering it he has made a new epoch in the
history of this war ; he has done a new thing under
the sun ; he has done a brave thing. It is braver
than to face cannon and musketry, and I honor him
for his candor and frankness.

But now I ask you to take away the flag of truce,
and I will go back inside the union lines and speak
of what he has done. I am reminded by it of a dis-
tinguished character in 'Paradise Lost.' When he
had rebelled against the glory of God and ' led away
a third part of heaven's sons, conjured against the
Highest,' when after terrible battles in which mount-
ains and hills were hurled by each contending host
'with 'jaculations dire' ; when at last the leader
and his hosts were hurled down ' nine times the
space that measures day and night,' and after the
terrible fall lay stretched prone on the burning lake,
Satan lifted up his shattered bulk, crossed the abyss,
looked down into Paradise, and, soliloquizing, said :
'Which way I fly is hell, myself am hell/
It seems to me in that utterance he expressed the
very sentiment to which you have just listened;
uttered by one no less brave, malign and fallen.
This man gathers up the meaning of this great con-
test, the philosophy of the moment, the prophecies
of the hour, and, in sight of the paradise of victory
13

194 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

and peace, utters them all in this wail of terrible
despair, ' Which way I fly is hell.' He ought to
add, ' Myself am hell.'

Mr. Chairman, I am reminded of two characters
in the war of the revolution as compared with two
others in the war of to-day.

The first was Lord Fairfax who dwelt near the
Potomac, a few miles from us. When the great con-
test was opened between the mother country and
the colonies, Lord Fairfax, after a protracted strug-
gle with his own heart, decided that he must go with
the mother country. He gathered his mantle about
him and went over, grandly, solemnly and impres-
sively and joined the fortunes of Great Britain against
the home of his adoption.

But there was another man who cast in his lot
with the struggling colonies, and continued with
them till the war was well-nigh ended. But in a
day of darkness, which just preceded the glory of
the morning, that other man, deep down in the
damned pits of his black heart, hatched the treason
to surrender forever all that had been gained to the
enemies of his country. Benedict Arnold was that
man.

Fairfax and Arnold find their parallel in the strug-
gle of to-day.

When this war began, many good men stood hesi-
tating and doubting what they ought to do. Their
doctrine of State rights, their sympathies, all they
had ever loved and longed for, were in the South '
and after long and painful hesitation, some of them

OF GENERAL JAME? A, GARFlB»-0. I95

at last went with the enemies of the nation. At
that time Robert E. Lee sat in his home across the
river here doubting and delaying, and going off at
last almost tearfully, to join the enemies of his
country. He reminds me in some respects of Lord
Fairfax, the stately royalist of the revolution. But
now, when hundreds of thousands of brave souls
have gone up to God under the shadow of the flag,
and when thousands more, maimed and shattered in
the contest, are sadly awaiting the deliverance of
death ; now, when three years of terrific warfare
have raged over us, when our armies have pushed
the rebellion back over mountains and rivers, and
crowded it "back into narrow limits, until a wall of
fire girds it ; now, when the uplifted hand of a ma-
jestic people is about to let fall the lightning of its
conquering power upon the rebellion ; now, in the
quiet of this hall, hatched in the lowest depths of a
similar dark treason, there rises a Benedict Arnold
and proposes to surrender us all up, body and spirit,
the nation and the flag, its genius and its honor,
now and forever, to the accursed traitors to our
country. And that proposition comes — God for-
give and pity my beloved State! — it comes from a
citizen of the honored and loyal Commonwealth of
Ohio.

I implore you, brethren, in this House, not to
believe that many such births ever gave pangs to
my mother State such as she suffered when that
traitor was born.

[Suppressed applause and sensation.] I beg yon

I96 THE LJFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

not to believe that on the soil of that State another
such growth has ever deformed the face of nature
and darkened the light of God's day. [An audible
whisper, ' Vallandigham.'] But ah! I am reminded
there are other such. My zeal and love for Ohio
have carried me too far. I retract. I remember
that only a few days since a political convention met
at the capital of my State, and almost decided to
select from just such material a Representative for
the Democratic party in the coming contest ; and,
to-day, what claim to be a majority of the Democracy
of that State say that they have been cheated or
they would have made that choice. I therefore
sadly take back the boast in behalf oT my native
State.

But, sir, I will forget States. We have something
greater than States and State pride to be talked of
here to-day. I will, if I can, dismiss feeling from my
heart, and try to consider only what bears upon the
logic of the speech to which we have just listened.

First of all, the gentleman tells us that the right
of secession is a constitutional right. I do not pro-
pose to enter into the argument. I have expressed
myself hitherto on State sovereignty and State rights,
of . which this proposition of his is the legitimate
child.

But the gentleman takes higher ground, and in
that I agree with him, namely, that five million or
eight million people possess the right of revolution.
Grant it ; we agree there.

If fifty-nine men can make revolution successful,

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 1 97

they have the right of revolution. If one State
wishes to break its connection with the federal gov-
ernment, and does it by force, maintaining itself, it
is an independent State. If the eleven Southern
States are determined and resolved to leave the
union, to secede, to revolutionize, and can maintain
that revolution by force, they have the revolutionary
right to do so. Grant it I stand on that platform
with the gentleman. And now the question comes,
Is it our constitutional duty to let them do it ? That
is the question ; and in order to reach it, I beg to
call your attention not to an argument, but to the
condition of affairs which would result from such
action, the mere statement of which becomes the
strongest possible argument What does this gen-
tleman propose? Where will he draw the line of
division ? If the rebels carry into successful seces-
sion what they desire to carry ; if their revolution
envelops as many States as they intend it shall
envelop ; if they draw the line where Isham G.
Harris, the rebel governor of Tennessee, in the
rebel camp near our lines, told Mr. Vallandigham
they would draw it, — along the line of the Ohio and
of the Potomac ; if they make good their statement
to him, that they will never consent to any other
line, then, I ask, what is the thing that the gentle-
man proposes to do ?

He proposes to leave to the United States a terri-
tory reaching from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and
one hundred miles wide in the center! From Wells-
ville, on the Ohio river, to Cleveland on the lakes,

198 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

is one hundred miles. I ask you, Mr. Chairman, if
there be a man here so insane as to suppose that the
American people will allow their magnificent nation-
al proportions to be shorn to so deformed a shape as
this ?

I tell you — and I confess it here — that while I
hope I have something of human courage, I have not
enough to contemplate such a result. I am not
brave enough to go to the brink of the precipice of
successful secession, and look down into its damned
abyss. If my vision were keen enough to pierce to
its bottom, I would not dare to look. If there be a
man here who dare contemplate such a scene, I look
upon him either as the bravest of the sons of women,
or as a downright madman. Secession to gain
peace ! Secession is the tocsin of eternal war.
There can be no end to such a war as will be inau-
gurated if this thing be done.

Suppose the policy of the gentleman were adopted
to-day. Let the order go forth ; sound the ' recall '
on your bugles, and let it ring from Texas to the far
Atlantic, and tell the armies to come back. Call
the victorious legions back over the battle-fields of
blood, forever now disgraced. Call them back, over
the territory which they have conquered. Call them
back, and let the minions of secession chase them
with derision and jeers as they come. And then tell
them that that man across the aisle, from the free
State of Ohio, gave birth to the monstrous proposi-
tion. Mr. Chairman, if such a word should be sent
forth through the armies of the union, the wave of

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. I99

terrible vengeance that would sweep back over this
land could never find a parallel in the records of his-
tory. Almost in the moment of final victory, the
1 recall ' is sounded by a craven people not deserving
freedom. We ought every man to be made a slave,
should we sanction such a sentiment

The gentleman has told us there is no such thing
as coercion justifiable under the constitution. I ask
him for one moment to reflect that no statute ever
was enforced without coercion.

It is the basis of every law in the universe, — God's
law as well as man's. A law is no law without co-
ercion behind it. When a man has murdered his
brother, coercion takes the murderer, tries him and
hangs him. When you levy your taxes, coercion se-
cures their collection ; it follows the shadow of the
thief, and brings him to justice ; it accompanies your
diplomacy to foreign courts, and backs the declaration
of the nation's rights by a pledge of the nation's
power. But when the life of that nation is imperiled,
we are told that it has no coercive power against the
parricides in its own bosom. Again, he tells us that
oaths taken under the amnesty proclamation are
good for nothing.

The oath of Galileo, he says, was not binding up-
on him. I am reminded of another oath that was
taken ; but perhaps it, too, was an oath on the lips
alone, to which the heart made no response.

I remember to have stood in a line of nineteen men
from Ohio, on that carpet yonder, on the first day of
the session ; and I remember that, with uplifted hands

200 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

before God, those nineteen took an oath to support
and maintain the constitution of the United States ;
and I remember that another oath was passed
around, and each member signed it as provided by
law, utterly repudiating the rebellion and its pre-
tenses. Does the gentleman not blush to speak of
Galileo's oath ? Was not his own its counterpart ?

He says the union can never be restored because
of the terrible hatred engendered by the war. To
prove it, he quotes what some Southern man said a
few years ago, that he knew no hatred between peo-
ples in the world like that between the North and
the South. And yet that North and South have been
one nation for more than eighty years !

Have we seen in this contest anything more bitter
than the wars of the Scottish border ? Have we
seen anything bitterer than those terrible feuds in
the days of Edward, when England and Scotland
were the deadliest foes on earth ? And yet for cen-
turies, those countries have been cemented in an in-
dissoluble union that has made the British nation
one of the proudest of the earth.

I said a little while ago that I accepted the propo-
sition of the gentleman that the rebels had the right
of revolution ; and the decisive issue between us and
the rebellion is, whether they shall revolutionize and
destroy, or we shall subdue and preserve.

We take the latter ground. We take the common
weapons of war to meet them ; and if these be not
sufficient, I would take any element which will over-
whelm and destroy ; I would sacrifice the dearest

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 201

and best beloved ; I would take all the old sanctions
of law and the constitution and fling them to the
winds, if necessary, rather than let the nation be
broken in pieces and its people destroyed with end-
less ruin.

What is the constitution that these gentlemen are
perpetually flinging in our faces, whenever we desire
to strike hard blows against the rebellion ? It is the
production of the American people. They made it,
and the Creator is mightier than the creature. The
power which made the constitution can also make
other instruments to do its great work in the day of
its dire necessity."

This speech was so eloquently spoken, and was
stamped with such sincerity, that old members of the
House of Representatives gathered about him during
its delivery, and greeted him with most flattering
demonstrations of approval at its close.

202 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

CHAPTER XV.

EARLY SPEECHES.

HIS POSITION CONCERNING THK DRAFT FOB THE ARMY. — DIFFERS
WITH HIS OWN PABTT. — CONTENDS FOB FRANKNESS AND TRUTH. —
HOPEFUL, VIEW OF THE NATION'S SUCCESS. — NATIONAL CONSCIENCE
AND SLAVERY. — EMANCIPATION THE REMEDY FOB NATIONAL
EVILS. — DEFENCE OF GENERAL BOSECRAN8. — TRIBUTE TO GENER-
AL THOMAS. — HIS ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA. —
THE DOCTRINE OF STATE RIGHTS. — CAMDEN AND AMBOY RAIL-
ROAD VS. THE UNITED STATES. — WHAT IS THE POWER AND PRE-
ROGATIVE OF THE NATION.

Dijring General Garfield's first session, there was
much contention over the draft for the army, and the
•clause in the law which allowed persons who were
drawn to commute their service by the payment of
three hundred dollars. The speech which General
Garfield made illustrates, better than any description
could do, certain phases of his character and his
manner as a public speaker. In this he was not con-
tending so much with the Democratic party, as with
those of his own party with whom he differed in re-
gard to the wisdom Oi the laws regulating the draft.
He said :

" Mr. Speaker, it has never been my policy to con-
ceal a truth, merely because it is unpleasant It may
be well to smile in the face of danger, but it is neither

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 203

well nor wise to let danger approach unchallenged
and unannounced. A brave nation, like a brave man,
desires to see and measure the perils which threaten
it. It is the right of the American people to know
the necessities of the republic, when they are called
upon to make sacrifices for it. It is this lack of con-
fidence in ourselves and the people, this timid waiting
for events to control us, when they should obey us,
that makes men oscillate between hope and fear, —
now in the sunshine of the hill-tops, and now in the
gloom and shadows of the valley. To such men, the
morning bulletin, which heralds success in the army,
gives exultation and high hope; the evening dis-
patch, announcing some slight disaster to our advanc-
ing columns, brings gloom and depression. Hope
rises and falls by the accidents of war, as the mercury
of the thermometer changes by the accidents of heat
and cold. Let us rather take for our symbol the
sailor's barometer, which faithfully forwarns him of
the tempest, and gives him unerring promise of se-
rene skies and peaceful seas. No man can deny that
we have grounds for apprehension and anxiety. The
unexampled magnitude of the contest, the enormous
expenditures of the war, the unprecedented waste of
battle, bringing sorrow to every loyal fireside, the
courage, endurance and desperation of our enemy,
the sympathy given him by the monarchies of the
Old World, as the/wait and hope or our destruction,
all these considerations should make us anxious and
earnest ; but they should not add one hue of despair
to the face of an American citizen ; they should not

104 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

*bate a tittle of his heart and hope. The specters
of defeat, bankruptcy and repudiation have stalked
through this Chamber, evoked by those gentlemen
who see no hope for the republic, in the arbitrament
of war, no power in the justice of our cause, no peace
made secure by the triumph of freedom .and truth.
Mr. Speaker, even at this late day of the session, I
will beg the indulgence of the House, while I point
out some of the grounds of our confidence in the final
success of our cause, while I endeavor to show that,
though beset with dangers, we still stand on firm
earth ; and though the heavens are clouded, yet above
storm and cloud the sun of our national hope shines
with steady and undimmed splendor. History is
constantly repeating itself, making only such changes
of programme as the growth of nations and centuries
requires. Such struggles as ours, and far greater
ones, have occurred in other ages, and their records
are written for us. I desire to refer to the example
of our ancestors across the sea, in their great strug-
gles at the close of the last and the beginning of the
present century, to show what a brave nation can do
when their liberties are in danger, and their national
existence is at stake.

* * • * * . *

And can we, the descendants of such a people,
with such a history and such an example before us,
can we, dare we falter in a day lrke this ? Dare we
doubt? Should we not rather say, as Bolingbroke
said to his people, in their hour of peril : ' Oh, woe
to thee when doubt comes ; it blows like a wind from

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 205

the north, and makes all thy joints to quake. Woe,
indeed, be the statesmen who doubt the strength of
their country, and stand in awe of the enemy with
whom it is engaged.' At that same period, one of
the greatest minds of England declared the three
things necessary to her success : —

i. To listen to no terms of peace till freedom and
order were established in Europe.

2. To fill up her army and perfect its organization.

3. To secure the favor of Heaven, by putting away
forever the crime of slavery and the slave trade.

Can we learn a better lesson ? Great Britain, in
that same period, began the work which ended in
breaking the fetters of all her bondsmen. She did
maintain her armies and her finances, and she did
triumph. We have begun to secure the approval of
Heaven by doing justice, though long delayed, and
securing to every human being in this republic free-
dom, henceforth and forever.

Mr, Speaker, it has long been my settled conviction
that it was a part of the divine purpose to keep us
under the pressure and grief of this war, until the
conscience of the nation should be aroused to the
enormity of its great crime against the black man,
and full reparation should be made. We entered the
struggle, a large majority insisting that slavery should
be let alone, with a defiance almost blasphemous.
Every movement toward the recognition of the ne-
gro's manhood was resisted. Slowly, and at a fright-
ful cost of human lives, the nation has yielded its
wicked and stubborn prejudices against him, till at

206 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

last the blue coats cover more than one hundred
thousand swarthy breasts, and the national banner is
born in the smoke of battle by men lately loaded
with chains, but now bearing the honors and emolu-
ments of American soldiers. Dare we hope for final
success till we give them the full protection of sol-
diers ? Like the sins of mankind against God, the
sin of slavery was so great that ' without the shed-
ding of blood there was no remission.' Shall we not
secure the favor of Heaven by putting it completely
away ? Shall we not fill up our armies ? Shall we
not also triumph ? Was there, in the condition of
England in 1812, a single element essential to success
which we do not possess to-day ?

******

If we will not learn a lesson, either from England
or our revolutionary fathers, let us at least learn from
our enemies. I have seen their gallantry in battle,
their hoping against hope amid increasing disaster;
and, traitors though they are, I am proud of their
splendid courage, when I remember that they are
Americans. Our army is equally brave, but our gov-
ernment and Congress are far behind them in ear-
nestness and energy.

Until we go into the war with the same desperation
and abandonment which mark their course, we do
not deserve to succeed, and we shall not succeed.
What have they done ? What has their government
done, — a government based, in the first place, on
extreme State rights and State sovereignty, but
which has become more centralized and despotic than

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 207

the monarchies of Europe ? They have not only
called for volunteers, but they have drafted. They
have not only drafted, but cut off both commutation
and substitution. They have gone further. They
have adopted conscription proper — the old French
conscription of 1797 — and have declared that every
man between sixteen and sixty years of age is
a soldier. But we stand here bartering blood foi
money, debating whether we will fight the enemies
of the nation, or pay $300 into its treasury. Mr.
Speaker, with this brief review of the grounds of our
hope, I now ask your attention to the main proposi-
tion in the bill before the House, — the repeal of the
commutation clause. Going back to the primary
question of the power to raise armies, I lay it down
as a fundamental proposition, as an inherent and
necessary element of sovereignty, that a nation has
a right to the personal service of its citizens. The
stability and power of every sovereignty rest upon
that basis."

His fidelity to his friends and comrades led him to
make another speech during his first session, which
gives his opinion of his old chief, General Rosecrans,
and also of General Thomas, and deserves a place in
history. It was made upon a resolution of thanks to
General Thomas, for his generalship in the battle of
Chickamauga.

" This resolution proposes to thank Major-General
George H. Thomas and the officers and men under
his command for gallant services in the battle of
Chickamauga. It meets my hearty approval for

208 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

what it contains, but ray protest for what it does not
contain. I should be recreant to my own sense of
justice did I allow this omission to pass without no-
tice. No man here is ready to say, — and if there be
such a man I am ready to meet him, — that the
thanks of this Congress are not due to Major-General
W. S. Rosecrans, for the campaign which culminated
in the battle of Chickamauga. It is not uncommon
throughout the press of the country, and many peo-
ple, to speak of that battle as a disaster to the army
of the United States, and to treat it as a defeat. If
that battle was a defeat, we may welcome a hundred
such defeats. I should be glad if each of our armies
would repeat Chickamauga. Twenty such would de-
stroy the rebel army and the confederacy, utterly and
forever. What was that battle, terminating as it did
a great campaign, whose object was to drive the rebel
army beyond the Tennessee, and to obtain a foothold
on the south bank of that river, which should form
the basis of future operations in the Gulf States.
We had never yet crossed that river, except far be-
low, in the neighborhood of Corinth. Chattanooga
was a gateway of the Cumberland mountains, and
until we crossed the river and held the gateway, we
could not commence operations in Georgia. The
army was ordered to cross the river, to grasp and
hold the key of the Cumberland mountains. It did
cross, in the face of superior numbers ; and after
two days of fighting, more terrible, I believe, than
any since this war began, the army of the Cumber-
land hurled back, discomfited and repulsed, the com-

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 20Q,

bined power of three rebel armies, gained the key to
the Cumberland mountains, gained Chattanooga, and
held it agajnst every assault If there has been a
more substantial success against overwhelming odds,
since this war began, I have not heard of it We
have had victories — God be thanked — all along the
line, but in the history of this war I know of no such
battle against such numbers ; forty thousand against
an army of not less by a man than seventy-five thou-
sand. After the disaster to the right wing, in the
last bloody afternoon of September 20th, twenty-five
thousand men of the army of the Cumberland stood
and met seventy-five thousand hurled against them.
And they stood in their bloody tracks, immovable
and victorious, when night threw its mantle around
them. They had repelled the last assault of the
rebel army. Who commanded the army of the Cum-
berland ? Who organized, disciplined and led it ?
Who planned its campaigns ? The general whose
name is omitted in this resolution — Major-General
W. S. Rosecrans.

And who is this General Rosecrans ? The history
of the country tells you, and your children know
it by heart. It is he who fought battles and won
victories in Western Virginia, under the shadow of
another's name. When the poetic pretender claimed
the honor and received the reward as the author of
Virgil's stanza in praise of Caesar, the great Mantuan
wrote on the walls of the imperial palace :

' Hoc ego_versiculos feci, tulit alter honores.'
14

210 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

So might the hero of Rich mountain say, ' I won
this battle, but another has worn the laurels.'

From Western Virginia he went to Mississippi,
and there won the battles of Iuka and Corinth, which
have aided materially to exalt the fame of that gener-
al, upon whom this House has been in such haste to
confer the proud rank of lieutenant-general of the
army of the United States, but who was not upon
either of these battle-fields.

Who took .command of the army of the Cumber-
land, found that army at Bowling Green, in Novem-
ber, 1862, as it lay disorganized, disheartened, driven
back from Alabama and Tennessee, and led it across
the Cumberland, planted it in Nashville, and thence,
on the first day of the new year, planted his banners
at Murfreesboro', in torrents of blood, and at the mo-
ment of our extremest peril, throwing himself into
the breech, saved by his personal valor the army of
the Cumberland and the hopes of the republic ? It
was General Rosecrans. From the day he assumed
the command at Bowling Green, the history of that
army may be written in one sentence, — it has ad-
vanced, and maintained its advanced position, and its
last campaign, under the general it loved, was the
bloodiest and most brilliant. The fruits of Chicka-
mauga were gathered in November, on the hights of
Mission Ridge and among the clouds of Lookout
mountain. That battle at Chattanooga was a glorious
one, and every loyal heart is proud of it But, sir, it
was won when we had nearly three times the number
of the enemy. It ought to have been won. Thank

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 211

God that it was won. I would take no laurel from
the brow of the man who won it ; but I would remind
gentlemen here that while the battle of Chattanooga
was fought with vastly superior numbers on our part,
the battle of Chickamauga was fought with still vaster
superiority against us.

If there is any man upon earth whom I honor, it
is the man who is named in this resolution, General
George H. Thomas. I had occasion, in my remarks
on the conscription bill, a few days ago, to refer to
him in such terms as I delighted to use ; and I say
to gentlemen here that if there is any man whose
heart would be hurt by the passage of this resolution
as it now stands, that man is General George H.
Thomas. I know, and all know, that he deserves
well of his country, and his name ought to be re-
corded in letters of gold ; but I know equally well
that General Rosecrans deserves well of his country.
I ask you, then, not to pain the heart of a noble man,
who will be burdened with the weight of these
thanks, that wrong his brother officer and his supe-
rior in command. All I ask is that you will put both
names into the resolution, and let them stand side by
side."

When the important question arose in Congress
concerning ? through line of railroad from Washing-
ton to New iork, there was considerable opposition
from the Camden and Amboy railroad, and from the
officials of the New Jersey State government, and
the question whether the State of New Jersey had
the right to prohibit the construction of a national

212 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

railroad, became somewhat interesting. Upon that
question he said":

" Mr. Speaker, this lifts our subject above corpora-
tions and monopolies to the full hight of a national
question ; I might almost call it a question of loyalty
or disloyalty. I have only to say in regard to the
language of this proclamation that if his Excellency
had consulted Calhoun and his resolution of 1833, he
would have its doctrines stated much more ably and
elegantly. He calls upon the Legislature of New
Jersey to inquire whether this bill will take away
any of the revenue of the State, and how it will affect
the sovereign rights of New Jersey. He says New
Jersey is a sovereign State. I pause there for a mo-
ment. Mr. Coleridge somewhere says that abstract
definitions have done more harm in the world than
plague and famine and war. I believe it. I believe
that no man will ever be able to chronicle all the
evils that have resulted to this nation from the abuse
of the words 'sovereign' and 'sovereignty.' What
is this thing called State 'sovereignty?' Nothing
more false was ever uttered in the halls of legislation
than that any Sute of this union is sovereign. Con-
sult the elementary text-books of law and refresh
your recollection of the definition of ' sovereignty.'
Speaking of the sovereignty of natio, s Blackstone
says :

' However they began, by what right soever they
subsist, there is and must be in all of them a supreme
irresistible, absolute uncontrolled authority in which

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 213

the jura summi imperii or rights of sovereignty re-
sisted.'

Do these elements belong to any State of this re-
public ? Sovereignty has the right to declare war.
Can New Jersey declare war ? It has the right to
conclude peace. Can New Jersey conclude peace ?
Sovereignty has the right to coin money. If the
Legislature of New Jersey should authorize and
command one of its citizens to coin a half dollar, that
man if he made it, though it should be of solid silver,
would be locked up in a felon's cell for the crime of
counterfeiting the coin of the real sovereign. A
sovereign has the right to make treaties with foreign
nations. Has New Jersey the right to make treaties ?
Sovereignty is clothed with the right to regulate
commerce with foreign States. New Jersey has no
such right. Sovereignty has the right to put ships
in commission upon the high seas. Should a ship
set sail under the authority of New Jersey it would
be seized as a smuggler, forfeited and sold. Sover-
eignty has a flag. But, thank God, New Jersey has
no flag ; Ohio has no flag. No loyal State fights
under the 'lone star,' the 'rattlesnake,' or the 'pal-
metto tree.' No loyal State of this union has any
flag but ' the banner of beauty and glory,' the flag
of the union.

These are the indispensable elements of sovereign-
ty. New Jersey has not one of them. The term
cannot be applied to the separate States, only in a
very limited and restricted sense, referring mainly to
municipal and police regulations. The rights of the

214 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

States should be jealously guarded and defended.
But to claim that sovereignty, in its full sense and
meaning, belongs to the States, is nothing better than
rankest treason. Look again at this document of the
governor of New Jersey. He tells you that the
States entered into the 'national compact' National
compact ! I had supposed that no governor of a loya
State would parade this dogma of nullification ana
secession, which was killed and buried by Webster
on the 16th of February, 1833. There was no such
thing as a sovereign State making a compact called a
constitution. The very language of the constitution
is decisive : ' We, the people of the United States,
do ordain and establish this constitution.' The
States did not make a compact to be broken when
any one pleased, but the people ordained and estab-
lished the constitution of a sovereign republic ; and
woe be to any corporation or State that raises its
hand against the majesty and power of this great
nation."

This proclamation closes with a determination to
resist this legislation of Congress. This itself is
another reason why I ask this Congress to exercise
its right to rebuke this resurrected spirit of nullifica-
tion. The gentleman from Pennsylviania (Mr. Broo-
mall) tells us that New Jersey is a loyal State, and
her citizens are in the army. I am proud of all the
citizens of New Jersey who are fighting in our army.
They are not fighting for New Jersey, but for the
union ; and when it is once restored, I do not believe
these men will fight for the Camden and Amboy

OP GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 21$

monopoly. Their hearts have been enlarged, and
there are patriotic men in New Jersey in the army
and at home, who are groaning under this tyrannical
monopoly, and they come up here and ask to strike off
the shackles that bind them ; and I hold it to be
right and duty of this body to strike off their fetters,
let them go free.

2l6 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

CHAPTER XVI

EULOGIES OF NOTED MEN.

TO ABRAHAM LINCOLN. — THE ANNIVERSARY OF MR. LINCOLN'S DEATH.

— THE CAUSE OF THE ASSASSINATION. — THE EFFECT OF HIS DEATH.

— A BEAUTIFUL TRIBUTE. — ORATION ON CARPENTER'S PAINTINa.

— SIGNING THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION. — ITS PLACE IN
HISTORY. — JOHN WINTHROP AND SAMUEL ADAMS. — THE GIFT OF
MASSACHUSETTS. — GENERAL GARFIELD'S TRIBUTE TO NEW ENG-
LAND. — THE LESSON OF SELF-RESTRAINT, — REMARKS UPON IBM
DEATH OF SENATOR MORTON.

On the first anniversary of the death of Abraham
Lincoln, and during General Garfield's third year of
service in the House of Representatives, Congress
adjourned for the day as a mark of respect for the
martyr President's memory. General Garfield was
selected to make the motion to adjourn, and in so
doing, was selected to make a short address. It was
one of the most cultured, thoughtful and appropriate
addresses to be found in the vast collection of patri-
otic speeches, which remain to this generation from
the days of war and reconstruction.

"I desire" said he, "to move that this House do
now adjourn. And before the vote upon that motion
is taken I desire to say a few words. This day, Mr.
Speaker, will be sadly memorable so long as this
lation shall endure, which God grant may be 'till

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 217

the last syllable of recorded time,' when the volume
of human history shall be sealed up and delivered to
the omnipotent Judge. In all future time, on the
recurrence of this day, I doubt not that the citizens
of this republic will meet in solemn assembly to
reflect on the life and character of Abraham Lincoln,
and the awful tragic event of April 14, 1865, — an
event unparalleled in the history of nations, certainly
unparalleled in our own. It is eminently proper
that this House should this day place upon its records
a memorial of that event. The last five years have
been marked by wonderful developments of individ-
nal character. Thousands of our people, before un-
known to fame, have taken their places in history,
crowned with immortal honors. In thousands of
humble homes are dwelling heroes and patriots
whose names shall never die. But greatest among
all these great developments were the character and
fame of Abraham Lincoln whose loss the nation still
deplores. His character is aptly described in the
words of England's great laureate — written thirty
years ago — in which he traces the upward steps of
some

' Divinely gifted man,
Whose life in low estate began,
And on a simple village green ;

1 Who breaks his birth's invidious bar,
And grasps the skirts of happy chance,
And breasts the blow of circumstance,
And grapples with his evil star ;

' Who makes by force his merit known,
And lives to clutch the golden keys,

71% THE LIFE*, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

To mold a mighty State's decrees,
And shape the whisper ol the throne ;

1 And moving up from high to higher,
Becomes on Fortune's crowning slope,
The pillar of a People's hope,
The center of a world's desire.'

Such a life and character will be treasured forever
as the sacred possession of the American people and
of mankind. In the great drama of the rebellion
there were two acts. The first was the war with its
battles and sieges, victories and defeats, its suffer-
ings and tears.

That act was closing one year ago to-night, and
just as the curtain was lifting on the second and
final act, — the restoration of peace and liberty, —
just as the curtain was rising upon new characters
and new events, the evil spirit of the rebellion, in
the fury of despair, nerved and directed the hand of
the assassin to strike down the chief character in
both. It was no one man who killed Abraham Lin-
coln ; it was the embodied spirit of treason and
slavery, inspired with fearful, despairing hate, that
struck him down in the moment of the nation's
supremest joy.

Ah, sir, there are times in the history of men
and nations, when they stand so near the veil that
separates mortals from the immortals, time from
eternity, and men from their God, that they can
almost hear the beatings, and feel the pulsations of
the heart of the Infinite. Through such a time has
this nation passed. When two hundred and fiftr

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 219

thousand brave spirits passed from the field of honor,
through that thin veil, to the presence of God ; and
when at last its parting folds admitted the martyr \
President to the company of the dead heroes of the
republic, the nation stood so near the veil, that the
whispers of God were heard by the children of men.
Awe-stricken by his voice, the American people
knelt in tearful reverence, and made a solemn cove-
nant with Him, and with each other, that their
nation should be saved from its enemies, that all its
glories should be restored, and on the ruins of slav-
ery and treason, the temple of freedom and justice
should be built, and should survive forever. It re-
mains for us, consecrated by that great event, and
under a covenant with God, to keep that faith, to go
forward in the great work until it shall be completed.
Following the lead of that great man, and obeying
the high behests of God, let us remember that, —

* He that sounded forth a trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before his judgment seat ;
Be swift my soul to answer him ; be jubilant my teet ;
For God is marching on. ' "

To the eulogy of 1866, he added another in 1878,
which should be preserved for future generations to
read.

On the 1 6th of January, 1878, he introduced into
the House of Representatives the following joint
resolution, which was adopted without a division. It
was subsequently adopted by the Senate, and was
approved by the President, February 1, 1878:

Whereas, Mrs. Elizabeth Thompson of New York

220 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

city has tenderd to Congress Carpenter's painting
of President Lincoln and his Cabinet, at the time of
his first reading of the Proclamation of Emancipation:
Therefore,

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives
of the United States of Ameica in Congress assembled,
That said painting is hereby accepted in the name ol
the people of the United States; and the thanks ol
Congress are tendered to the donor for her generous
and patriotic gift.

A nd be it further resolved, That the Joint Commit-
tee on the Library are hereby instructed to make
arrangements for the formal presentation of said
painting to Congress, on Tuesday, the twelfth of
February next; and said committee shall cause said
painting to be placed in an appropriate and conspic-
uous place in the Capitol, and shall carefully provide
for its preservation.

And be it further resolved, That the President is
requested to cause a copy of these resolutions to be
forwarded to Mrs. Thompson.

In pursuance of its provisions, the hour of two
o'clock, p. m., Tuesday, February 12th, was fixed for
the formal presentation and acceptance of the paint-
ing, and Mr. Garfield said : —

" Mr. President : By the order of the Senate and
the House, and on behalf of the donor, Mrs. Eliza-
beth Thompson, it is made my pleasant duty to de-
liver to Congress the painting which is now unveiled.
It is the patriotic gift of an American woman whose
years have been devoted to gentle and generous

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 221

charities, and to the instruction and elevation of the
laboring poor.

Believing that the perpetuity and glory of her
country depend upon the dignity of labor and the
equal freedom of all its people, she has come to the
Capitol, to place in the perpetual custody of the na-
tion, as the symbol of her faith, the representation of
that great act which proclaimed ' liberty throughout
all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.'

Inspired by the same sentiment, the representa-
tives of the nation have opened the doors of this
Chamber to receive at her hands the sacred trust.
In coming hither, these living representatives have
passed under the dome and through that beautiful
and venerable hall which, on another occasion, I have
ventured to call the third House of American repre-
sentatives, that silent assembly whose members have
received their high credentials at the impartial hand
of history. Year by year, we see the circle of its
immortal membership enlarging ; year by year, we
see the elect of their country, in eloquent silence,
taking their places in this American pantheon, bring-
ing within its sacred precincts the wealth of those
immortal memories whicji made their lives illustrious ;
and year by year, that august assembly is teaching
deeper and grander lessons to those who serve in
these more ephemeral Houses of Congress.

Among the paintings, hitherto assigned to places
within the Capitol, are two which mark events for-
ever memorable in the history of mankind ; thrice
memorable in the history of America.

222 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

The first is the painting by Vanderlyn, which rep-
resents, though with inadequate force, the great dis-
covery which give to the civilized world a new hem-
isphere.

The second, by Trumbull, represents that great
Declaration which banished forever from our shores
the crown and scepter of imperial power, and proposed
to found a new nation upon the broad and enduring
basis of liberty.

To-day, we place upon our walls this votive tablet,
which commemorates the third great act in the his-
tory of America - the fulfillment of the promises of
the Declaration.

Concerning the causes which led to that act, the
motives which inspired it, the necessities which com-
pelled it, and the consequences which followed and
are yet to follow it, there have been, there are, and
still will be great and honest differences of opinion.
Perhaps we are yet too near the great events of which
this act formed so conspicuous a part, to understand
its deep significance and to foresee its far-off conse-
quences.

The lesson of history is rarely learned by the act-
ors themselves, especially when they read it by the
fierce and dusky light of war, or amid the deeper
shadows of those sorrows which war brings to both.
But the unanimous voice of this House in favor of
accepting the gift, and the impressive scenes we here
witness, bear eloquent testimony to the transcendent
importance of the event portrayed on yonder canvas.

Let us pause to consider the actors in that scene.

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 223

In force of character, in thoroughness and breadth
of culture, in experience of public affairs, and in na-
tional reputation, the Cabinet that sat around that
council-board has had no superior, perhaps no equal,
in our history. Seward, the finished scholar, the
consummate orator, the great leader of the Senate,
had come to crown his career with those achieve-
ments which placed him in the first rank of modern
diplomatists. Chase, with a culture and a frame of
massive grandeur, stood as the rock and pillar of the
public credit, the noble embodiment of the public
faith. Stanton was there, a very Titan of strength,
the great organizer of victory. Eminent lawyers,
men of business, leaders of States and leaders of men
completed the group.

But the man who presided over that council, who
inspired and guided its deliberations, was a character
so unique that he stood alone, without a model in
history or a parallel among men. Born on this day,
sixty-nine years ago, to an inheritance of extremest
poverty ; surrounded by the rude forces of the wil-
derness ; wholly unaided by parents ; only one year
in any school ; never, for a day, master of his own
time, until he reached his majority ; making his way
to the profession of law by the hardest and roughest
road ; yet by force of unconquerable will and persist-
ent, patient work, he attained a foremost place in his
profession

And, moving up from high to higher,
Became, on fortune'6 crowning slope,
The pillar of a people's hope,

The center of a world's desire.

224 THK LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

At first, it was the prevailing belief that he would
be only the nominal head of his administration ; that
its policy would be directed by the eminent states-
men he had called to his council. How erroneous
this opinion was, may be seen from a single incident :

Among the earliest, most difficult, and most deli
cate duties of his administration, was the adjustment
of our relations with Great Britain. Serious compli-
cations, even hostilities, were apprehended. On the
2 ist of May, 1861, the Secretary of State presented
to the President his draught of a letter of instructions
to Minister Adams, in which the position of the
United States and the attitude of Great Britain were
set forth with the clearness and force, which long ex-
perience and great ability had placed at the command
of the secretary.

Upon almost every page of that original draught
are erasures, additions and marginal notes, in the
hand-writing of Abraham Lincoln, which exhibit a
sagacity, a breadth of wisdom, and a comprehension
of the whole subject, impossible to be found except
in a man of the very first order. And these modifi-
cations of a great State paper were made by a man
who, but three months before, had entered, for the
first time, the wide theatre of executive action.

Gifted with an insight and a foresight which the
ancients would have called divinition, he saw, in the
midst of darkness and obscurity, the logic of events,
and forecasted the result. From the first, in his own
quaint, original way, without ostentation or offense
to his associates, he was pilot and commander of his
15

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD 22$

administration. He was one of the few great rulers
whose wisdom increased with his power, and whose
spirit grew gentler and tenderer as his triumphs were
multiplied.

This was the man, and those his associates, who
look down upon us from the canvas.

The present is not a fitting occasion to examine,
with any completeness, the causes that led to the
proclamation of emancipation ; but the peculiar rela-
tion of that act to the character of Abraham Lincoln
cannot be understood, without considering one re-
markable fact in his history.

His earlier years were passed in a region remote
from the centers of political thought, and without
access to the great world of books. But the few
books that came within his reach, he devoured with
the divine hunger of genius. One paper, above all
others, led him captive, and filled his spirit with the
majesty of its truth and the sublimity of its eloquence.
It was the Declaration of American Independence —
the liberty and equality of all men. Long before his
fame had become national, he said :

That is the electric cord in the Declaration, that

links the hearts of patriotic and liberty-loving men

together, and that will link such hearts as long as the

.love of liberty exists in the minds of men throughout

:he world.

That truth runs, like a thread of gold, through the
whole web of his political life. It was the spear-
point of his logic, in his debates with Douglas. It
was the inspiring theme of his remarkable speech at

226 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

the Cooper Institute, which gave him the nomination
to the presidency. It filled him with reverent awe
when, on his way to the capital, to enter the shadows
of the terrible conflict then impending, he uttered, in
Carpenter's Hall, at Philadelphia, these remarkable
words, which were prophecy then, but are history
now :

I have never had a feeling, politically, that did
not spring from the sentiments embodied in the
Declaration of Independence. I have often pondered
over the dangers which were incurred by the men
who assembled here and framed and adopted that
Declaration. I have pondered over the toils that were
endured by the officers and soldiers of the army
who achieved that independence. I have often in-
quired of myself what great principle or idea it was
that kept this confederacy so long together. It was
not the mere matter of the separation of the colonies
from the mother land, but that sentiment in the Dec-
laration of Independence, which gave liberty, not
alone to the people of this country, but, I hope, to the
world, for all future time. It was that which gave
promise that, in due time, the weight would be lifted
from the shoulders of all men. This is the sentiment
embodied in the Declaration of Independence. Now,
my friends, can this country be saved on that basis?
If it can, I shall consider myself one of the happiest
men in the world if I can help to save it. If it can-
not be saved upon that principle, it will be truly
awful. But if this country cannot be saved without
giving up that principle, I was about to say, / would
ratJier be assassinated on this spot than surrender it.

Deep and strong was his devotion to liberty ; yet
deeper and stronger still was his devotion to the

Or GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 227

union, for he believed that without the union, perma-
nent liberty for either race on this continent would
be impossible. And because of this belief, he was
reluctant, perhaps more reluctant than most of his
associates, to strike slavery with the sword. For
many months, the passionate appeals of millions of
his associates seemed not to move him. He listened
to all the phases of the discussion, and stated, in
language clearer and stronger than any opponent had
used, the dangers, the difficulties and the possible
futility of the act

In reference to its practical wisdom, Congress, the
Cabinet and the country were divided. Several of
his generals had proclaimed the freedom of slaves
within the limits of their commands. The President
revoked their proclamations. His first Secretary of
War had inserted a paragraph in his annual report,
advocating a similar policy. The President sup-
pressed it

On the 19th of August, 1862, Horace Greeley pub-
lished a letter, addressed to the President entitled
'The Prayer of Twenty Millions,' in which he said:

On the face of this wide earth, Mr. President,
there is not one disinterested, determined, intelligent
champion of the union cause who does not feel that
all attempts to put down the rebellion, and at the
same time uphold its inciting cause, are preposterous
and futile.

To this the President responded in that ever-
memorable dispatch of August 22, in which he said :

If there be those who would not save the union

228 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

unless they could at the same time save slavery, I do
not agree with them.

If there be those who would not save the union
unless they could at the same time destroy slavery, I
do not agree with them.

My paramount object is to save the union, and
not either to save or destroy slavery.

If I could save the union without freeing any slave,
I would do it , if I could save it by freeing all the
slaves, I would do it ; and if I could do it by freeing
some and leaving others alone, I would also do that.

What I do about slavery and the colored race, I
do because I believe it helps to save the union ; and
what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it
helps to save the union. I shall do less whenever I
believe that what I am doing hurts the cause ; and I
shall do more whenever I believe doing more will
help the cause.

Thus, against all importunities on the one hand,
and remonstrances on the other, be took the mighty
question to his own heart, and, during the long
months of that terrible battle-summer, wrestled with
it alone.

But at length, he realized the saving truth, that
great, unsettled questions have no pity for the repose
of nations.

On the 22d of September, he summoned his Cabi-
net to announce his conclusion. It was my good
fortune, on that same day, and a few hours after the
meeting, to hear, from the lips of one who partici-
pated, the story of the scene.

As the chiefs of the executive departments came
in one by one, they found the President reading a

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 22g

favorite chapter from a popular humorist He was
lightening the weight of the great burden which
rested upon his spirit. He finished the chapter,
reading it aloud. And here I quote from the pub-
lished journal of the late chief -justice, an entry,
written immediately after the meeting, ^nd bearing
unmistakable evidence that it is almost a literal
transcript of Lincoln's words :

The President then took a graver tone, and said :
" Gentlemen, I have, as you are aware, thought a
great deal about the relation of this war to slavery ;
and you all remember that, several weeks ago, I read
to you an order I had prepared upon the subject,
which, on account of objections made by some of
you, was not issued. Ever since then, my mind has
been much occupied with this subject, and I have
thought all along that the time for acting upon it
might probably come. I think the time has come
now. I wish it was a better time. I wish that we
were in a better condition. The action of the army
against the rebels has not been quite what I should
have best liked, but they have been driven out of
Maryland, and Pennsylvania is no longer in danger
of invasion.

When the rebel army was at Frederick, I deter-
mined, as soon as it should be driven out of Mary-
land, to issue a proclamation of emancipation, such
as I thought most likely to be useful. I said nothing
to any one, but I made a promise to myself and (hes-
itating a little) to my Maker. The rebel army is now
driven out, and I am going to fulfill that promise. I
have got you together to hear what I have written
down. I do not wish your advice about the main
matter, for that I have determined for myself. This
I say, without intending anything but respect for any

230 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

one of you. But I already know the views of each
upon this question. They have been heretofore ex-
pressed, and I have considered them as thoroughly
and carefully as I can. What I have written is that
which my reflections have determined me to say. If
there is anything in the expressions I use, or in any
minor matter which any one of you think had best
be changed, I shall be glad to receive your sugges-
tions. One other observation I will make. I know
very well that many others might, in this matter as
in others, do better than I can ; and if I was satis-
fied that the public confidence was more fully pos-
sessed by any one of them than by me, and knew of
any constitutional way in which he could be put in
my place, he should have it. I would gladly yield to
him. But though I believe I have not so much of
the confidence of the people as I had some time
since, I do not know that, all things considered, any
other person has more ; and, however this may be,
there is no way in which I can have any other man
put where I am. I am here ; I must do the best I
can, and bear the responsibility of taking the course
which I feel I ought to take."

The President then proceeded to read his Emanci-
pation Proclamation, making remarks on the several
parts as he went on, and showing that he had fully
considered the subject in all the lights under which
it had been presented to him.

The proclamation was amended in a few matters
of detail. It was signed ancr published that day.
The world knows the rest, and will not forget it till
' the last syllable of recorded time.'

In the painting before us, the artist has chosen
the moment when the reading of the proclamation
was finished, and the Secretary of State was offering

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 23 1

liis first suggestion. I profess no skill in the subtle
mysteries of art criticism. I can only say of a paint-
ing, what the painting says to me. I know not what
this may say to others ; but to me, it tells the whole
story of the scene, in the silent and pathetic language
of art

We value the Trumbull picture of the Declaration,
- - that promise and prophecy of which this act was
the fulfillment, — because many of its portraits were
taken from actual life. This picture is a faithful
reproduction, not only of the scene, but its accesso-
ries. It was painted at the executive mansion, under
the eye of Mr. Lincoln, who sat with the artist dur-
ing many days of genial companionship, and aided
him in arranging the many details of the picture.

The severely plain chamber, not now used for
cabinet councils ; the plain marble mantel, with the
portrait of a hero president above it ; the council-
table, at which Jackson and his successor had presid-
ed ; the old-fashioned chairs ; the books and maps ;
the captured sword, with its pathetic history ; — all are
there, as they were, in fact, fifteen years ago. But
what is of more consequence, the portraits are true
to the life. Mr. Seward said of the painting, * It is
a vivid representation of the scene, with portraits of
rare fidelity ; ' and so said all his associates.

Without this painting, the scene could not even
new be reproduced. The room has been remodeled ;
its furniture is gone ; and death has been sitting in
that council, calling the roll of its members in quick
succession. Yesterday, he added another name to

232 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

his fatal list ; and to-day, he has left upon the earth
but a single witness of the signing of the proclama
tion of emancipation.

With reverence and patriotic love, the artist ac
complished his work ; with patriotic love and rever-
ent faith, the donor presents it to the nation. In
the spirit of both, let the re-united nation receive it
and cherish it forever."

One of the most popular of General Garfield's
eulogies, was upon John Winthrop and Samuel Adams,
and was delivered December 19, 1876, the House
then having under consideration the following res-
olution : —

In the Senate of the United States.
December 19, 1876.

Resolved by the Senate, (the House of Representa-
tives concurring^) 1. That the statues of John Win-
throp and Samuel Adams are accepted in the name
of the United States, and that the thanks of Congress
are given to the State of Massachusetts for these
memorials of two of her eminent citizens, whose names
are indissolubly associated with the foundation of the
republic.

2. That a copy of these resolutions, engrossed upon
parchment and duly authenticated, be transmitted to
the governor of Massachusetts.

Attest : Geo. C. Gorham,

By W. J. McDonald, Chief Clerk.

He said: — " Mr. Speaker, I regret that illness has
made it impossible for me to keep the promise, which
I made a few days since, to offer some reflections
appropriate to this very interesting occasion. But I

OF GENERAL JAMES A GARFIELD. 233

cannot let the moment pass without expressing my
great satisfaction with the fitting and instructive
choice which the State of Massachusetts has made,
and the manner in which her Representatives have
discharged their duty in presenting these beautiful
works of art to the Congress of the nation.

As, from time to time, our venerable and beautiful
Hall has been peopled with statues of the elect of
the States, it has seemed to me that a third House
was being organized within the walls of the Capitol
— a House whose members have received their high
credentials at the hands of history, and whose term
of office will outlast the ages. Year by year, we see
the circle of its immortal membership enlarging;
year by year, we see the elect of their country, in
eloquent silence, taking their places in this American
pantheon, bringing within its sacred circle the wealth
of those immortal memories, which made their lives
illustrious ; and, year by year, that august assembly
is teaching a deeper and grander lesson to all who
serve their brief hour in these more ephemeral
Houses of Congress. And now, two places of great
honor have just been most nobly filled.

I can well, understand that the State of Massachu-
setts, embarrassed by her wealth of historic glory,
found it difficult to make the selection. And while
the distinguished gentleman from Massachusetts
(Mr. Hoar) was so fittingly honoring his State, by
portraying that happy embarrassment, I was reflect-
ing that the sister State of Virginia will encounter,
if possible, a still greater difficulty when she comes

234 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

to make the selection of her immortals. One name
I venture to hope she will not select, — a name too
great for the glory of any one State. I trust she will
allow us to claim Washington as belonging to all the
States, for all time. If she shall pass over the great
distance that separates Washington from all others,
I can hardly imagine how she will make the choice
from her crowded roll. But I have no doubt that
she will be able to select two who will represent the
great phases of her history, as happily and worthily as
Massachusetts is represented, in the choice she has
to-day announced. It is difficult to imagine a happier
combination of great and beneficent forces, than will
be presented by the representative heroes of these
two great States.

Virginia and Massachusetts were the two focal
centers from which sprang the life-forces of this
republic. There were, in many ways, complements
of each other, each supplying what the other lacked,
and both uniting to endow the republic with its
noblest and most enduring qualities.

To-day, the House has listened with the deepest
interest to the statement of those elements of price-
less value contributed by the State of Massachusetts.
We have been instructed by the clear and masterly
analysis of the spirit and character of that Puritan
civilization, so fully embodied in the lives of Winthrop
and Adams. I will venture to add, that, notwith-
standing all the neglect and contempt with which
England regarded her Puritans, two hundred years
ago, the tendency of thought in modern England is

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 235

to do justice to that great force which created the
the Commonwealth, and finally made the British
Islands a land of liberty and law. Even the great
historian Hume was compelled reluctantly to declare
that—

The precious spark of liberty had been kindled and
was preserved by the Puritans alone ; and it was to
this sect that the English owe the whole freedom
of their constitution.

What higher praise can posterity bestow upon any
people than to make such a confession ? Having
done so much to save liberty alive in the mother
country, the Puritans planted, upon the shores of this
New World, that remarkable civilization whose growth
is the greatness and glory of our republic.

Indeed, before Winthrop and his company landed
at Salem, the Pilgrims were laying the foundation of
civil liberty. While the Mayflower was passing Cape
Cod, and seeking an anchorage, in the midst of the
storm, her brave passengers sat down in the little
cabin, and drafted and signed a covenant which con-
tains the germ of American liberty. How familiar
to the American habit of mind are these declarations
of the Pilgrim covenant of 1620, —

That no act, imposition, law, or ordinance be made
or imposed upon us at present, or to come, but such
as has been or shall be enacted by the consent of the
body of free men or associates, or their representa-
tives, legally assembled.

The New England town was the model, the primary
cell, from which our republic was evolved. The

236 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

town meeting was the germ of all the parliamentary
life and habits of Americans.

John Winthrop brought with him the more formal
organization of New England society ; and, in his
long and useful life, did more than perhaps any other
to direct and strengthen its growth.

Nothing, therefore, could be more fitting, than for
Massachusetts to place in our Memorial Hall the
statue of the first of the Puritans, representing him
at the moment when he was stepping on shore from
the ship that brought him from England, and bear-
ing with him the charter of that first political society
which laid the foundations of our country ; and that
near him should stand that Puritan embodiment of
the logic of the revolution, Samuel Adams. I am
glad to see this decisive, though tardy, acknowledg-
ment of his great and signal services to America. I
doubt if any man equaled Samuel Adams in formu-
lating and uttering the fierce, clear and inexorable
logic of the revolution. With our present habits of
thought, we can hardly realize how great were the
obstacles to overcome. Not the least was the religious
belief of the fathers — that allegiance to rulers was
obedience to God. The thirteenth chapter of Ro-
mans was to many minds a barrier against revolution
stronger than the battalions of George III., —

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers.
For there is no power but of God ; the powers that
be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore re-
sisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God.

And it was not until the people of that religious

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 237

age were led to see that they might obey God and
still establish liberty, in spite of kingly despotism,
that they were willing to engage in war against one
who called himself ' king by the grace of God.'
The men who pointed out the pathway to freedom by
the light of religion as well as of law, were the fore-
most promoters of American independence. And
of these, Adams was unquestionably chief.

It must not be forgotten that, while Samuel Adams
was writing the great argument of liberty in Boston,
almost at the same time, Patrick Henry was formulat-
ing the same doctrines in Virginia. It is one of the
grandest facts of that grand time that the colonies
were thus brought, by an almost universal consent,
to tread the same pathway, and reach the same great
conclusions.

But most remarkable of all is the fact that, through-
out all that period, filled as it is was with the revolu-
tionary spirit, the great men who guided the storm,
exhibited the most wonderful power of self-restraint
It I were to-day to state the single quality that appears
to me most admirable among the fathers of the revo-
lution, 1 should say it was this : that amidst all the
passions oi war, waged against a perfidious enemy from
beyond the sea, aided by a savage enemy on our own
shores, our fathers exhibited so wonderful a restraint,
so great a care to observe the forms of law, to protect
the rights of the minority, to preserve all those great
rights that had come down to them from the common
law, so that when they had achieved their independ-
ence, they were still a law-abiding people.

238 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

In that fiery meeting in the old South church, after
the Boston massacre, when, as the gentleman from
Massachusetts has said, three thousand voices almost
lifted the roof from the church, in demanding the re-
moval of the regiments, it is noted by the historian
that there was one, solitary, sturdy 'nay' in the
vast assemblage ; and Samuel Adams scrupulously
recorded the fact that there was one dissentient. It
would have been a mortal offense against his notions
of justice and good order, if that one dissentient had
not had his place in the record. And, after the
regiments had been removed, and after the demand
had been acceded to that the soldiers who had fired
upon citizens should be delivered over to the civil
authorities, to be dealt with according to law, Adams
was the first to insist and demand that the best legal
talent in the colony should be put forward to defend
those murderers ; and John Adams and Josiah Quincy
were detailed for the purpose of defending them.
Men were detailed whose hearts and souls were on
fire with the love of the popular cause ; but the men
of Massachusetts would have despised the two advo-
cates, if they had not given their whole strength to
the defense of the soldiers.

Mr. Speaker, this great lesson of self-restraint is
taught in the whole history of the revolution ; and
it is this lesson that to-day, more perhaps, than any
other we have seen, we ought to take most to heart.
Let us seek liberty and peace, under the law ; and,
following the pathway of our fathers, preserve the
great legacy they have committed to our keeping."

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 239

Among other addresses made in Congress, upon
the death of Senator Morton of Indiana, General
Garfield delivered the following :

"For all the great professions known among
Americans, special training-schools have been estab-
lished and encouraged by law, except that of states-
manship. And yet no profession requires for its
successful pursuit a wider range of general and
special knowledge, or a more thorough and varied
culture.

Probably no American youth, unless we except
John Quincy Adams, was ever trained with special
reference to the political service of his country. In
monarchial governments, not only wealth and rank,
but political authority descends, by inheritance, from
father to son. The eldest son of an English peer
knows from his earliest childhood that a seat awaits
him in the House of Lords. If he be capable and am-
bitious, the dreams of his boyhood and the studies
of his youth are directed toward the great field of
statesmanship. To the favored few, this system
affords many and great advantages, and upon the un-
titled many, whom ' birth's invidious bar ' shuts out
from the highest places of power, it must rest with
discouraging weight.

Our institutions confer special privileges upon no
citizen, and, we may now say, they erect no barrier
in the honorable career of the humblest American.
They open an equal pathway for all, and invite the
worthiest to the highest seats. The fountains of our
s'rength, as a nation, spring from the private life and

240 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

the voluntary efforts of forty-five millions of people.
Each for himself confronts the problem of life, and
amid its varied conditions develops the forces with
which God has endowed him. Meantime, the nation
moves on in its great orbit, with a life and destiny of
its own, each year calling to its aid those qualities
and forces which are needed for its preservation
and its glory. Now, it needs the prudence of the
counselor, now, the wisdom of the law-giver, and
now, the shield of the warrior to cover its heart in
the day of battle. And when the hour and the man
have met, and the needed work has been done, the
nation crowns her heroes, and makes them her own
forever. Such hours we have often seen during the
last seventeen years, — hours which have called forth
the great elements of manhood and strength from
the ranks of our people, and crowded our pantheon
with new accessions of glory. Seventeen years ago,
at a moment of supreme peril, the nation called upon
the people of twenty-two States to meet around her
altar and defend her life. Of all the noble men who
responded to that call, no voice rang out with more
clearness than that of Oliver P. Morton, the young
governor of Indiana He was then but thirty-seven
years of age. Self-made, as all men are who are
worth the making, he had risen from a hard life of
narrow conditions by fighting his own way, thinking
his own thoughts, and uttering them without fear,
until, by the fortune of political life, he had become
the chief executive of his State. He saw at once,
and declared the terrible significance of the impend-

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 24I

ing struggle, and threw his whole weight into the
conflict. His State and my own marched abreast in
generous emulation.

But he was surrounded by difficulties and dangers
which hardly found a parallel in any other State.
With unconquerable will, and the energy of a Titan,
he encountered and overcame them all ; and keeping
Indiana in line with the foremost, he justly earned
the title of one of the greatest war governors of that
heroic period. Thus, the great need of the nation
called forth and fixed in the enduring colors of fame
those high qualities which those thirty-seven years
of private life had been preparing. To learn the
lesson of his great life, let us recall briefly its leading
characteristics.

He was a great organizer. He knew how to evoke
and direct the enthusiasm of his people. He knew
how to combine and marshall his forces, political or
military, so as to concentrate them all upon a single
object, and inspire them with his own ardor. I have
often compared him with Stanton, our great War Sec-
retary, whose windows at the war office, for many
years, far into the night, shone out ' like battle-lan-
terns lit,' while he mustered great armies and
launched them into the tempest of war, and ' organ-
ized victory.' In the whole circle of the States, no
organizer stood nearer to him in character and quali-
ties and friendship, than Oliver P. Morton.

His force of will was most masterful. It was not
mere stubbornness, or pride of opinion, which weak
and narrow men mistake for firmness. But it was
16

242 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

that stout-hearted persistency which, having once in-
telligently chosen an object, pursues it through sun-
shine and storm, undaunted by difficulties, and unter-
rified by danger.

He possessed an intellect of remarkable clearness
and force. With keen analysis, he found the core of
a question, and worked from the center outward.
He cared little for the mere graces of speech ; but
few men have been so greatly endowed with the
power of clear statement and unassailable argument.
The path of his thought was straight —

Like that of the swift cannon ball,
Shattering that it may reach, and
Shattering what it reaches.

When he had hit the mark, he used no additional
words, and sought for no decoration. These quali-
ties, joined to his power of thinking quickly, placed
him in the front rank of debaters, and every year in-
creased his power. It has been said that Senator
Morton was a partisan, a strong partisan, and this is
true. In the estimation of some, this detracts from
his fame. That evils arise from extreme partisanship,
there can be no doubt. But it should not be forgot-
ten that all free governments are party governments.
Our great Americans have been great partisans.
Senator Morton was not more partisan than Adams,
Jefferson, Jackson, Clay, Calhoun, Benton, Marshall,
Taney and Chase. Strong men must have strong
convictions, and ' one man with a belief is a greater
power than a thousand that have only interests.'

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. Z4$

Partisanship is opinion crystallized, and party organi-
zations arc the scaffoldings whereon citizens stand
while they build up the walls of their national tem-
ple. Organizations may change or dissolve, but when
parties cease to exist, liberty will perish. In conclu-
sion, let me say, the memory of Governor Morton
will be forever cherished and honored by the soldiers
of my State. They fought side by side with the sol-
diers of Indiana, and in a hundred glorious fields his
name was the battle-cry of the noble regiments which
he had organized and inspired with his own lofty
spirit.

To the nation he has left the legacy of his patriot-
ism, and the example of a great eventful life."

General Garfield's speeches upon the tariff, which
were, perhaps, the ablest production of his brain, are
not included here, as they are necessarily so long,
and so full of statistics, of no interest to the general
reader. His position was that of a conservative and
careful protector of American industry, avoiding the
extremes of either free trade or wholesale protection.

244 THE LIFJB, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

CHAPTER XVII.

PERIOD OF UNPOPULARITY*

HIS PRACTICE OF LAW. — HIS FIRST CASE IN THE SUPREME COURT. —
HIS SUCCESS AS A LAWYER. — UNPOPULARITY OF HIS DEFENSE Of
REBELS IN COURT. — HIS CONNECTION WITH A MATTER CALLED THE
DB GOLYER PAVEMENT CASE. — HOW HE WAS MALIGNED. — PER-
SISTENCY OF ENEMIES. — THE GREAT CREDIT MOBILIER CASE. —
VINDICATION OF GENERAL GARFIELD. — HIS STORY OF HIS DEAL-
INGS WITH OAKES AMES. — HIS OPPOSITION TO THE INCREASE OF
SALARIES EN CONGRESS. — THE CENSURE OF HIS CONSTITUENTS. —
HIS EXPLANATION. — RESTORATION TO PUBLIC FAVOR.

No great or good man ever served a capricious
public without disheartening trials, and periods of
unpopularity. Such experiences are often the test
of a man's ability and integrity. In the history of
General Garfield's Congressional career, however, his
loss of public favor was due, in each instance, to a
misunderstanding of the facts, on the part of the peo-
ple. When his actions and positions on public meas-
ure were fully understood by the people, he was at
once restored to favor and applause.

One cause of the first noticeable ebb in the public
regard, which the student of his life observes, was the
natural result of his practice of law.

He was a Congressman before he ever tried a case
in court ; and his experience as an attorney is perhaps

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 245

an exception to that of any other lawyer, inasmuch
as his first case was in the Supreme Court of the
United States. He never had a case in any other
court.

His first appearance in the Supreme Court was in
behalf of some conspirators who had been tried by
court-martial, and condemned t death, for engaging
in a movement to assist the rebellion. They were
tried by martial law in a State, in time of peace <U
facto in the State, and in a section of State not under
martial law. The legal question was, whether any
military body had such power under the circum-
stances. Should the civil power be ignored in time
of peace, or in sections of the country where martial
law had not been proclaimed? It was a case for
which he received no pay, and was undertaken as a
test of this important principle.

He was sustained by the Court and complimented
by the presiding justice for his able presentation of
the case and the law, while the criminals were set at
liberty. No sooner had the news of his interference
in behalf of condemned rebels reached his district in
Ohio, than the indignant voters loudly proclaimed
his "treachery to his party and to the nation." In
the following election, the great majority, with which
he had always been elected, fell off more than a thou-
sand votes, because of his supposed espousal of the
cause of rebellious criminals.

Other cases followed with occasionally a like result,
from which he easily recovered, but which, for the
time, annoyed him and disturbed his district

246 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

His practice in the Supreme Court increased very
rapidly, and there was a time when he could have
left his seat in Congress and entered upon a practice
which would soon have made him rich. As it was,
the income he thus derived was of great use to him,
for his great generosity and thoughtlessness of self
kept him almost incessantly in financial straits. He
wasted no money on himself or his family ; but he
had rather pay a bill himself, than to ask another
person, who owed it, for the money ; and he gave to
almost every good enterprise that came to his notice.
He was often called upon to act as attorney for
corporations and contractors, whose applications for
money or privileges were to come before Congress ;
and though it was considered honorable by many
Congressmen to act in such cases, provided the attor-
ney refused to vote when the measure came before
Congress, yet invariably, did General Garfield refuse
such applications, and rejected the large fees which
many statesmen thought it perfectly honorable for
him to receive.

In 1873, General Garfield was called upon, by an
attorney in Washington, to appear for him in a matter
which the attorney (Mr. Parsons) said would not re-
quire much attention. The attorney being retained
in the case, and being obliged to be absent when the
matter was to come up, naturally sought some other
attorney to temporarily take his place,

The matter to be attended to, in this instance, was
a hearing before the Board of public works in Wash-
ington, concerning the durability of a wooden pave-

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 247

ment, on which Messrs. De Golyer and McLellan held
a patent.

General Garfield knew nothing about the pave-
ment, and but little about the men ; and knowing that
he was to appear, as a matter of form, for another,
he attended one hearing, where the questions of
durability and material were the only ones discussed.
Having performed this act of courtesy he dis-
missed the matter wholly from his mind. Some
months afterwards, to his great surprise, the contract
which was made between the patentees and the city,
after the hearing upon the durability of the pave-
ment, and with which he had nothing to do, came up
in Congress, with the charge and appearance that
the contract — not the pavement — was a great
swindle. Immediately, the fact that he had, at one
time, in some way, and somewhere, appeared as at-
torney for the patentees was noticed in the public
press, and became the cause of a great uproar,
and of much disgraceful abuse.

The charges that he was connected with the fraud
were, for several years, proclaimed by some of the
newspapers of the Democratic party, notwithstanding
his complete vindication by the committee of investi-
gation.

So much was said about it, that the Hon. J. M.
Wilson, chairman of the Congressional committee of
investigation, felt called upon to publish the following
letter:

There was not in my opinion, any evidence that

248 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

would have warranted any unfavorable criticism upon
his conduct.

The facts disclosed by the evidence, so far as he
was concerned, are briefly these :

The Board of public works was considering the
question, as to the kind of pavements that should be
laid. There was a contest as to the respective merits
of various wooden pavements. Mr. Parsons repre-
sented, as attorney, the De Golyer & McLellan pa-
tent, and being called away from Washington about
the time the hearing was to be had before the Board
of public works, on this subject, procured General
Garfield to appear before the Board in his stead, and
argue the merits of this patent. This he did ; and
this was the whole of his connection in the matter. It
was not a question as to the kind of contract that
should be made, but as to whether this particular
kind of pavement should be laid. The criticism of
the committee was not upon the pavement, in favor
of which General Garfield argued, but was upon the
contract made with reference to it ; and there was no
evidence which would warrant the conclusion that he
had anything to do with the latter.

Very respectfully,

J. M. Wilson.

But the matter which made the greatest public
scandal was the mention of his name, at one time, in
connection with the great Credit Mobilier in the
construction of the Union Pacific railroad.

So completely was the scandal silenced, and so
straightforward and open was General Garfield's
course, that the re-action soon came in his favor, and
that which, for a time, threatened to ruin him, fell
harmless at his feet His life of truthfulness and his

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 249

unstained reputation for integrity and honor were of
great value to him, when all his political opponents,
with great glee, paraded his connection with the
Credit Mobilier.derisively shouting, " Christian States-
man ! " " moral patriot ! " &c. So clearly did he show
the innocence of his dealings with Mr. Oakes Ames,
and so clearly show that he could have had no con-
nection with any fraudulent schemes, that the record
of the matter has now no historical value, except as
showing how curiously public men may be beset, and
how strangely misunderstood. General Garfield has
given an account of the whole case, and it shows a
most interesting chapter of our national history.
This he made voluntarily, and to it always adheres.

General Garfield's history of the case, in a some-
what condensed form, is as follows :

" In the autumn of 1872, during the excitement of
the Presidential campaign, charges of the most seri-
ous character were made against ten or twelve per-
sons who were then, or had recently been, Senators
and Representatives in Congress, to the effect that,
five years ago, they had sold themselves for sundry
amounts of stock of the Credit Mobilicr company,
and bonds of the Pacific railroad company. The
price at which different members were alleged to
have bartered away their personal honor and their
official influence was definitely set down in the news-
papers ; their guilt was assumed, and the public ven-
geance was invoked not only upon them, but also
upon the party to which most of them belonged.

250 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

By a resolution of the House, introduced by one
of the members, and adopted on the first day of the
session, an investigation of these charges was ordered.
The parties themselves and many other witnesses
were examined; the records of the Credit Mobilier
company and of the Pacific railroad company were
produced ; and the results of the investigation were
reported to the House on the 18th of February.
The report, with the accompanying testimony, was
brought up in the House for consideration on the
25th of February, and the discussion was continued
until the subject was finally disposed of, three days
before the close of the session. The investigation
was scarcely begun, before it was manifest that the
original charge, that stock was given to members as
a consideration for their votes, was wholly abandoned,
there being no proof whatever to support it.

But the charge assumed a new form, namely : That
the stock had been sold to members at a price known
to be greatly below its actual value, for the purpose
of securing their legislative influence in favor of
those who were managing the Pacific railroad. Eight
of those against whom charges had been made in
the public press, myself among the number, were
still members of the House of Representatives, and
were specially mentioned in the report. The com-
mittee recommended the adoption of resolutions for
the expulsion of Messrs. Ames and Brooks, the lat-
ter on charges in no way connected with Mr. Ames
or the other members mentioned. They recom-
mended the expulsion of Mr. Ames for an attempt

OP GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 25 1

to influence the votes and decisions of members of
Congress, by interesting them in the stock of the
Credit Mobilier, and through it, in the stock of the
Union Pacific railroad. They found that thcngh
Mr. Ames in no case disclosed his purpose to these
members, yet he hoped so to enlist their interest that
they would be inclined to favor the Pacific railroad
and its interest, and that he declared to the managers
of the Credit Mobilier company at the time, that he
was thus using the stock which had been placed in
his hands by thz company.

Concerning the members to whom he had sold, or
offered to sell, the stock, the committee say that they
* do not find that Mr. Ames, in his negotiations with
the persons above named, entered into any detail of
the relations between the Credit Mobilier company
and the Union Pacific company, or gave them any
specific information, as to the amount of dividends
they would be likely to receive, further than has been
already stated, [viz., that in some cases he had guar-
anteed a profit of ten per cent.] * * * They do
not find, as to the members of the present House
above named, that they were aware of the object of
Mr. Ames, or that they had any other purpose in
taking this stock than to make a profitable invest-
ment. * * * They have not been able to find
that any of these members of Congress have been af-
fected in their official action in consequence of inter-
est in the Credit Mobilier stock. * * * They
do not find that either of the above named gentlemen

252 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

in contracting with Mr. Ames had any corrupt motive
himself, or was aware Mr. Ames had any. Nor did
either of them suppose he was guilty of any impro-
priety, or even indelicacy, in becoming a purchaser
of this stock.' And finally, that ' the committee find
nothing in the conduct or motives of either of these
members in taking this stock, that calls for any rec-
ommendation by the committee of the House.'

In the case of each of the six members just referred
to, the committee sum up the results of the testimo-
ny, and from that summary the conclusions above
quoted are drawn. In regard to me, the committee
find, that in December, 1867, or January, 1868, I
agreed to purchase ten shares of Credit Mobilier
stock of Mr. Ames, for #1,000, and the accrued inter-
est from the previous July; that in June, 1868, Mr.
Ames paid me a check on the Sergeant-at-Arms of
the House for $329, as a balance of dividends on the
stock, above the purchase price and accrued interest ;
and that thereafter, there were no payments or other
transactions between us, or any communication on
the subject until the investigation began in Decem-
ber last.

I took the first opportunity offered by the comple-
tion of public business to call the attention of the
House to the above summary of the testimony in
reference to me. On the 3d of March I made the
following remarks, in the House of Representatives,
as recorded in the Congressional Globe for that day :

I rise to a personal explanation. During the late"
investigation by the committee, of which the gentle-

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 253

man from Vermont was chairman, I pursued what
seemed to be the plain path of duty, to keep silence
except when I was called upon to testify before the
committee. When testimony was given which ap-
peared to be in conflict with mine, I waited, expect-
ing to be called again, if anything was needed from
me in reference to these discrepancies. I was not
recalled; and when the committee submitted their
report to the House, a considerable portion of the
testimony relating to me had not been printed.

In the discussion which followed here, I was r^e-
pared to submit some additional facts and considera-
tions, in case my. own conduct came up for consid-
eration in the House ; but the whole subject was
concluded without any direct reference to myself,
and since then the whole time of the House has been
occupied with the public business. I now desire to
make a single remark on this subject in the hearing
of the House. Though the committee acquitted me
of all charges of corruption in action or intent, yet
there is in the report a summing up of the facts in
relation to me which I respectfully protest is not war-
ranted by the testimony. I say this with the utmost
respect for the committee, and without intending any
reflection upon them.

I cannot now enter upon the discussion ; but I
propose, before long, to make a statement to the
public, setting forth more fully the grounds of my
dissent from the summing up to which I have re-
ferred. I will only say now that the testimony which
I gave before the committee is a statement of the
facts in the case as I have understood them from the
beginning. More than three years ago, on at least
two occasions, I stated the case to two personal
friends, substantially as I stated it before the com-
mittee; and I here add that nothing in my conduct
or conversation has at any time been in conflict with

254 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

my testimony. For the present I desire only to
place on record this declaration and notice.

In pursuance of this notice, I shall consider so
much of the history of the Credit Mobilier company
as has any relation to myself. To render the discus-
sion intelligible, I will first state briefly the offenses
which that corporation committed, as found by the
committees of the House.

The Credit Mobilier company is a corporation or-
ganized under the laws of the State of Pennsylvania,
and authorized by its charter to purchase and sell
various kinds of securities, and to make advances of
morrey and credit to railroad, and other improvement
companies. Its charter describes a class of business,
which, if honestly conducted, any citizen may prop-
erly engage in.

On the 1 6th of August, 1867, Mr. Oakes Ames
made a contract with the Union Pacific railroad
company to build six hundred and sixty-seven miles
of road, from the one hundredth meridian westward,
at rates ranging from #42,000 to $96,000 per mile.
For executing this contract he was to receive in
the aggregate $47,925,000, in cash, or in the securi-
ties of the company.

On the 15th of October, 1867, a triple contract was
made between Mr. Ames of the first part, seven per-
sons as trustees of the second part, and the Credit
Mobilier company of the third part, by the terms of
which the Credit Mobilier company was to advance
money to build the road, and to receive thereon

OF GENERAL JAMEo A. GARFIELD. 255

seven per cent interest, and two and one-half per
cent, commission ; the seven trustees were to execute
the Ames contract, and the profits thereon were to
be divided among them, and such other stockholders
of the Credit Mobilier company as should deliver to
them an irrevocable proxy to vote the stock of the
Union Pacific held by them. The principal stock-
holders of the Credit Mobilier company were also
holders of a majority of the stock of the Union Pacif-
ic railroad.

On the face of this agreement, the part to be per-
formed by the Credit Mobilier company as a corpo-
ration was simple and unobjectionable. It was to
advance money to the contractors, and to receive
therefore about ten per cent, as interest and commis-
sion. This explains how it was that, in a suit in the
courts of Pennsylvania, in 1870, to collect the State
tax on the profits of the company, its managers swore
that the company had never declared dividends to an
aggregate of more than twelve per cent. The com-
pany proper did not receive the profits of the Oakes
Ames contract. The profits were paid only to the
seven trustees, and to such stockholders of the Credit
Mobilier as had delivered to them the proxies on
their Pacific railroad stock. In other words, a few
men inside the Credit Mobilier obtained the control,
both of that corporation and of the profits of the Ames
contract.

By a private agreement, made in writing, October
16, 1867, the day after the triple contract was signed,
the seven trustees pledged themselves to each other

256 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

so to vote all the Pacific railroad stock which they
held in their own right, or by proxy, as to keep in
power all the members of the then existing board of
directors of the railroad company not appointed by
the President of the United States, or such other
persons as said board should nominate. By this
agreement, the election of a majority of the directors
was wholly within the power of the seven trustees.
From all this it resulted that the Ames contract and
the triple agreement, made in October, amour ted,
in fact, to a contract made by seven leading stock-
holders of the Pacific railroad company with them-
selves ; so that the men who fixed the price at which
the road was to be built were the same men who
would receive the profits of the contract.

[It would appear by General Garfield's statement
above, that he must have given the matter consid-
erable study, as he would naturally do after the
subject was so prominently before the public; but
it now appears pretty certain that through excite-
ment or lack of financial skill, there was scarcely
a person in the country in 1872 outside of that
board of directors who did comprehend its compli-
cated business transactions, or realized the finan-
cial risk the principal stockholders had to encoun-
ter.]

The Credit Mobilier company had*already been
engaged in various enterprises before the connection
with the Ames contract. George Francis Train had
once been the principal owner of its franchises, and

OP GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 257

it had owned some western lands ; (Wilson's Report,
pp. 497-8 ;) but its enterprises had not been very
remunerative, and its stock had not been worth par.
The triple contract of October, 1867, gave it at once
considerable additional value. It should be borne in
mind, however, that the relations of the Credit Mo-
bilier company to the seven trustees, to the Oakes
Ames' contract, and to the Pacific railroad company,
were known to but few persons until long afterward,
and that it was for the interest of the parties to keep
them secret Indeed, nothing was known of it to the
general public until the facts were brought out in
the recent investigations.

In view of the facts above stated, it is evident that
a purchaser of such shares of Credit Mobilier stock,
as were brought under the operation of the triple
contract, would be a sharer in the profits derived by
that arrangement from the assets of the Pacific rail-
road, a large part of which consisted of bonds and
lands granted to the road by the United States. The
holding of such stock by a member of Congress would
depend for its moral qualities wholly upon the fact
whether he did or did not know of any arrangement
out of which unjust profits would come. If he knew of
any fraudulent arrangement by which the bonds and
lands of the United States, delivered to the Union
Pacific railroad company for the purpose of construct-
ing its road, were to be paid out at enormously ex-
travagant rates, and the proceeds to be paid out as
dividends to a ring of stockholders made by the Credit
Mobilier company, he could not, with any propriety,
*7

258 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

hold such stock, or agree to hold it, or any of its pro-
ceeds. And for a member of Congress believing
such was the case, to hold under advisement a propo-
sition to buy this stock, would be morally as wrong
as to hold it and receive the profits upon it If it was
morally wrong to purchase it, it was morally wrong to
hesitate whether to purchase it or not

I put the case on the highest ethical ground, and
ask that this rule be applied in all its severity in
judging of my relation to this subject

The committee found, as already stated, that none
of the six members to whom Mr. Ames sold, or pro-
posed to sell, the stock, knew of any clandestine ar-
rangement I shall, however, discuss the subject only
in so far as relates to me, and shall undertake to es-
tablish three propositions:

First. That I never purchased, nor agreed to pur-
chase, the stock, nor received any of its dividends.

Second. That though an offer was made, which I
had some time under advisement to sell me £1,000
worth of the stock, I did not then know, nor had I
the means of knowing, the conditions with which
the stock was connected, or the method by which its
profits were to be made.

Third. That my testimony before the committee
is a statement of the facts as I have always under-
stood them ; and that neither before the committee,
nor elsewhere, has there been, on my part, any pre-
varication or evasion on the subject

my testimony was delivered before the investigat-
ing committee on the 14th of January. That portion

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GAREIELD. 25$

which precedes the cross-examination, I had written
out soon after the committee was appointed. I quote
it, with the cross-examination, in full, as found re-
corded :

Washington, D. C, January 14, 1873.

J. A. Garfield, a member of the United States
House of Representatives from the State of Ohio,
having been duly sworn, made the following state-
ment :

The first I ever heard of the Credit Mobilier was
some time in 1866 or 1867 — I cannot fix the date —
when George Francis Train called on me and said he
was organizing a company to be known as the Credit
Mobilier of America, to be formed on the model of
the Credit Mobilier of France ; that the object of the
company was to purchase lands and build houses
along the line of the Pacific railroad at points where
cities and villages were likely to spring up ; that he
had no doubt that money thus invested would double
or treble itself each year ; that subscriptions were
limited to $1,000 each, and he wished me to subscribe.
He showed me a long list of subscribers, among them
Mr. Oakes Ames, to whom he referred me for further
information concerning the enterprise. I answered
that I had not the money to spare, and if I had, I
would not subscribe, without knowing more about the
proposed organization. Mr. Train left me, saying he
would hold a place open for me, and hoped I would
yet conclude to subscribe. The same day I asked
Mr. Ames what he thought of the enterprise. He
expressed the opinion that the investment would be
safe and profitable.

I heard nothing further on the subject for a year
or more, and it was almost forgotten, when some
time, I should say during the long session of 1868,
Mr. Ames spoke of it again ; said the company had

260 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

organized, was doing well, and he thought would
soon pay large dividends. He said that some of the
stock had been left, or was to be left, in his hands to
sell, and I could take the amount which Mr. Train
had offered me, by paying the $1,000 and the accrued
interest. He said if I was not able to pay for it then,
he would hold it for me till I could pay, or until some
of the dividends were payable. I told him I would
consider the matter ; but would not agree to take
any stock until I knew, from an examination of the
charter, and the conditions of the subscription, the
extent to which I should become pecuniarily liable.
He said he was not sure, but thought a stockholder
would be liable only for the par value of his stock ;
that he had not the stock and papers with him, but
would have them after a while.

From the case, as presented, I should probably
have taken the stock, if I had been satisfied in regard
to the extent of pecuniary liability. Thus the matter
rested for some time, I think until the following year.
During that interval, I understood that there were
dividends due, amounting to nearly three times the
par value of the stock. But in the meantime, I had
heard that the company was involved in some con-
troversy with the Pacific railroad, and that Mr.
Ames' right to sell the stock was denied. When I
next saw Mr. Ames, I told him I had concluded not
to take the stock. There the matter ended, so far
as I was concerned, and I had no further knowledge
of the company's operations until the subject began
to be discussed in the newspapers last fall.

Nothing was ever said to me by Mr. Train or Mr.
Ames to indicate or imply that the Credit Mobilier
was, or could be, in any way connected with the legis-
lation of Congress for the Pacific railroad, or for any
other purpose. Mr. Ames never gave, nor offered

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 26 1

to give, me any stock or other valuable thing as a
gift I once asked and obtained from him, and after-
ward repaid to him, a loan of $300 ; that amount is
the only valuable thing I ever received from or
delivered to him.

I never owned, received, or agreed to receive any
stock of the Credit Mobilier, or of the Union Pacific
railroad, or any dividends or profits arising from
either of them.

(By the Chairman.)

Question. Had this loan you speak of any connec-
tion in any way with your conversation in regard to
the Credit Mobilier stock ? — Answer. No connection
in any way except in regard to the time of payment
Mr. Ames stated to me that if I concluded to sub-
scribe for the Credit Mobilier stock I could allow the
loan to remain until the payment on that was adjusted.
I never regarded it as connected in any other way
with the stock enterprise.

Q. Do you remember the time of that transaction ?
— A. I do not remember it precisely. I should
think it was in the session of 1868. I had been to
Europe the fall before, and was in debt, and borrowed
several sums of money at different times and from
different persons. This loan from Mr. Ames was
not at his instance. I made the request myself. I
think I had asked one or two persons before him for
the loan.

Q. Have you any knowledge in reference to any
dealings of Mr. Ames with any gentlemen in Con-
gress in reference to the stock of the Credit Mobilier ?
— A. No. sir; I have not I had no knowledge that
Mr. Ames had ever talked with anybody but myself.
It was a subject I gave but little attention to ; in fact,
many of the details had almost passed out of my mind
until they were called up in the late campaign.

262 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

(By Mr. Black.)

Q. Did you say you refused to take the stock
simply because there was a lawsuit about it? — A.
No ; not exactly that. I do not remember any other
reason which I gave to Mr. Ames than that I did not
wish to take stock in anything that would involve
controversy. I think I gave him no other reasor
than that.

Q. When you ascertained the relation that this
company had with the Union Pacific railroad com-
pany, and whence its profits were to be derived,
would you have considered that a sufficient reason
for declining it, irrespective of other considerations ?
— A. It would have been as the case was afterward
stated.

Q. At the time you talked with Mr. Ames, before
you rejected the proposition, you did not know
whence the profits of the company were to be de-
rived ? — A. I did not. I do not know that Mr.
Ames withheld, intentionally, from me any informa-
tion. I had derived my original knowledge of the
organization of the company from Mr. Train. He
made quite an elaborate statement of it purposes, and
I proceeded, in subsequent conversions, upon the
supposition that the organization was unchanged. I
ought to say for myself, as well as ior Mr. Ames,
that he never said any word to me that indicated the
least desire to influence my legislative action in any
way. If he had any such purpose, he certainly never
said anything to me which would indicate it.

Q. You know now, and have known for a long
time, that Mr. Ames was deeply interested in the
legislation on this subject ? — A. I supposed that he
was largely interested in the Union Pacific railroad.
I have heard various statements to that effect I

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 263

cannot say I had any such information of my own
knowledge.

Q. You mean that he did not electioneer with you
or solicit your vote ? — A. Certainly not. None of
the conversations I ever had with him had any refer-
ence to such legislation.

(By Mr. Merrick.)

Q. Have you any knowledge of any other member
of Congress being concerned in the Credit Mobilier
stock? — A. No, sir; I have not.

Q. Or any stock in the Union Pacific railroad?
A. I have not I can say to the committee that I
never saw. I believe, in my life, a certificate of stock
of the Union Pacific railroad company, and I never
saw any certificate of stock of the Credit Mobilier,
until Mr. Brooks exhibited one, a few days ago, in
the House of Representatives.

Q, Were any dividends ever tendered to you on
the stock of the Credit Mobilier, upon the supposi-
tion that you were to be a subscriber ? — A. No, sir.

Q. This loan of $300 you have repaid, if I under-
stand you correctly ? — A. Yes, sir.

(By Mr. McCrary.)

Q. You never examined the charter of the Credit
Mobilier to see what were its objects? — A. No, sir;
I never saw it.

Q. If I understand you, you did not know that the
Credit Mobilier had any connection with the Union
Pacific railroad company ? — A. I understood from
the statement of Mr. Train that its objects were con-
nected with the lands of the Union Pacific railroad
company, and the development of settlements along
that road ; but that it had any relation to the Union
Pacific railroad company, other than that, I did not
know. I think I did hear, also, that the company

264 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

was investing some of its earnings in the bonds of
the road.

Q. He stated that it was for the purpose of pur-
chasing land and building houses ? — A. That was
the statement of Mr. Train. I think he said, in that
connection, that he had already been doing some-
thing of that kind at Omaha, or was going to do it.

Q. You did not know that the object was to build
the Union Pacific railroad ? — A. No, sir ; I did not

This is the case as I understand it, and as I have
always understood it. In reviewing it, after all that
has been said and written, there are no substantial
changes which I could now make, except to render
a few points more definite. Few men can be certain
that they give, with absolute correctness, the details
of conversations and transactions, after a lapse of
five years. Subject to this limitation, I have no
doubt of the accuracy of my remembrance concern-
ing this transaction.

From this testimony, it will be seen that, when Mr.
Ames offered to sell me the stock in 1867-68, my
only knowledge of the character and objects of the
Credit Mobilier company was obtained from Mr.
Train, at least, as early as the winter of i866-'6y,
long before the company had become a party to the
construction contract. It has been said that I am
mistaken in thinking it was the Credit Mobilier that
Mr. Train offered me in 1866-67. I think I am not
Mr. Durant, in explaining his connection with the
Credit Mobilier, says :

I sent Mr. Train to Philadelphia. We wanted it
(the Credit Mobilier) for a stock operation, but we

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 265

could not agree what was to be done with it Mr.
Train proposed to go on an expanded scale, but I
abandoned it I think Mr. Train got some subscrip-
tions ; what they were I do not know.

It has been said that it is absurd to suppose that
intelligent men, familiar with public affairs, did not
understand all about the relation of the Credit Mo-
bilier company to the Pacific railroad company. It
is a sufficient answer to say that, until the present
winter, few men, either in or out of Congress, ever
understood it ; and it was for the interest of those in
the management of that arrangement to prevent
these facts from being known. This will appear
from the testimony of Hon. J. F. Wilson, who pur-
chased ten shares of the stock in 1867. In the
spring of 1869, he was called on professionally to
give an opinion as to the right of holders of Pacific
railroad stock to vote their own shares, notwith-
standing the proxy they had given to the seven
trustees. To enable him to understand the case, a
copy of the triple contract was placed in his hands.
He says :

Down to the time these papers were placed in my
hands, I knew almost nothing of the organization
and details of the Credit Mobilier, or the value of its
stock, but then saw that here was abundant ground
for future trouble and litigation ; and, as one of the
results, sold out my interest

And again :

Q. Do you, or did you know, at the time you had
this negotiation with Mr. Ames, the value of the
Credit Mobilier stock ? — A. I did not; and I wish

266 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

to state here, in regard to that, that it was a very
difficult thing to ascertain what was the value of the
stock. Those who, as I say in my statement, pos-
sessed the secrets of the Credit Mobilier, kept them
to themselves ; and I never was able to get any
definite information as to what the value of the stock
was.

When, in the winter of 1867-68, Mr. Ames pro-
posed to sell me some of the stock, I regarded it as
a mere repetition of the offer made by Mr. Train,
more than a year before. The company was the
same, and the amount offered me was the same. Mr.
Ames knew it had formerly been offered me, for I
had then asked him his opinion of such an invest-
ment ; and having understood the objects of the
company, as stated by Mr. Train, I did not inquire
further on that point.

There could not be the slightest impropriety in
taking the stock, if the objects of the company
were such as Mr. Train represented them to me.
The only question on which I then hesitated, was
the personal pecuniary liability attached to a sub-
scription ; and, to settle that question, I asked to see
the charter, and the conditions on which the stock
was based. I have no doubt Mr. Ames expected I
would subscribe. But more than a year passed with-
out further discussion of the subject. The papers
were not brought, and the purchase was never
made.

In the winter of 1 869-' 70, I received the first
intimation I ever had of the nature of the connec-

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 267

tion between the Credit Mobilier company and the
Pacific railroad company, in a private conversation
with the Hon. J. S. Black of Pennsylvania. Find-
ing, in the course of that conversation, that he was
familiar with the history of the enterprise, I told him
all I knew about the matter, and informed him of the
offer that had been made me. He expressed the
opinion that the managers of the Credit Mobilier
were attempting to defraud the Pacific railroad com-
pany, and informed me that Mr. Ames was pretend-
ing to have sold stock to members of Congress, for
the purpose of influencing their action in any legis-
tion that might arise on the subject

Though I had neither done or said anything which
placed me under any obligation to take the stock, I
at once informed Mr. Ames, that if he was still hold-
ing the offer open to me, he need do so no longer,
for I would not take the stock. This I did immedi-
ately after the conversation with Judge Black, which,
according to his own recollection, as well as mine,
was early in the winter of 1869-70.

One circumstance has given rise to a painful con-
flict of testimony between Mr. Ames and myself. I
refer to the loan of $300. Among the various criti-
cisms that have been made on this subject, it is said
to be a suspicious circumstance, that I should have
borrowed so small a sum of money from Mr. Ames,
about this time. As stated in my testimony, I had
just returned from Europe, only a few days before
the session began, and the expenses of the trip had
brought me short of funds. I might have alluded in

268 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

the same connection to the fact that, before going
abroad, I had obtained money from a banker in New
York, turning over to him advanced drafts for sev-
eral months of my congressional salary, when it
should be due ; and, needing a small sum, early in
the session, for current expenses, I asked it of Mr.
Ames, for the reason that he had volunteered to put
me in the way of making what he thought would be
a profitable investment He gave me the money,
asking for no receipt, but saying, at the same time,
that if I concluded to take the stock, we would settle
both matters together. I am not able to fix the
exact date of the loan, but it was probably in Janu-
ary, 1868.

Mr. Ames seems to have forgotten this circum-
stance, until I mentioned it to him, after the investi-
gation began; for he said, in his first testimony,
that he had forgotten that he had let me have any
money. I neglected to pay him this money, until
after the conversation with Judge Black, partly be-
cause of my pecuniary embarrassments, and partly
because no conclusion had been reached in regard to
the purchase of the stock. When I paid him, I took
no receipt, as I had given none at the first

Mr. Ames said once or twice, in the course of his
testimony, that I did not repay it, although he says,
in regard to it, that he does not know, and cannot
remember.

On these differences of recollection between Mr.
Ames and myself, it is not so important to show that
my statement is the correct one, as to show that I

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 269

have made it strictly in accordance with my under-
standing of the facts. And this I am able to show
by proof entirely independent of my own testimony.

In the spring of 1868, Hon. J. P. Robison of
Cleveland, Ohio, was my guest here in Washington,
and spent nearly two. weeks with me, during the trial
of the impeachment of Andrew Johnson. There has
existed between us an intimate acquaintance of long
standing, and I have often consulted him on business
affairs. On meeting him since the adjournment of
Congress, he informed me that, while he was visiting
me on the occasion referred to, I stated to him the
offer of Mr. Ames, and asked him his opinion of it
The following letter, just received from him, states
the conversation as he remembers it :

Cleveland, Ohio, May 1, 1873.

Dear General: — I send you the facts concerning a
conversation I had with you (I think in the spring of
1868) when I was stopping in Washington for some
days, as your guest, during the trial of the impeach-
ment of President Johnson. While there, you told
me that Mr. Ames had offered you a chance to invest
a small amount in a company that was to operate in
lands and buildings along the Pacific railroad, which
he (Ames) said would be a good thing. You asked
me what I thought of it as a business proposition,
that you had not determined what you would do
about it, and suggested to me to talk with Ames,
and form my own judgment, and if I thought well
enough of it to advance the money and buy the stock
on joint account with you, and let you pay me inter-
est on the one-half, I could do so. But I did not
think well of the proposition as a business enterprise,
and did not talk with Ames on the subject.

270 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

After this talk, having at first told you I would
give the subject thought, and perhaps talk with
Ames, I told you one evening that I did not think
well of the proposition, and had not spoken to Ames
on the subject

Yours, truly,

J. P. ROBISON.

Hon. J. A. Garfield.

I subjoin two other letters, which were written'
about the time the report of the committee was made,
and to which I refer in my remarks made on the 3d
of March, in the House of Representatives. The
first is from a citizen of the town where I reside ;
and the time of the conversation to which it alludes,
was, as near as I can remember, in the fall of 1868,
during the recess of Congress :

Hiram, Ohio, February 18, 1873.

Dear Sir: — It may be relevant to the question at
issue between yourself and Mr. Oakes Ames, in the
Credit Mobilier investigation, for me to state that,
three or four years ago, in a private conversation, you
made a statement to me involving the substance of
your testimony before the Poland committee, as pub-
lished in the newspapers. The material points of
your statement were these :

That you had been spoken to by George Francis
Train, who offered you some shares of the Credit
Mobilier stock ; that you told him that you had no
money to invest in stocks; that subsequently you
had a conversation in relation to the matter with Mr.
Ames ; that Ames offered to carry the stock for you
until you could pay for it, if you cared to buy it ; and
that you had told him in that case perhaps you would
take it, but would not agree to do so until vou had

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 2J\

inquired more fully into the matter. Such an ar-
rangement as this was made, Ames agreeing to carry
the stock until you should decide. In this way, the
matter stood, as I understood it, at the time of our
conversation. My understanding was distinct that
you had not accepted Mr. Ames' proposition, but that
the shares were still held at your option.

You stated, further, that the company was to oper-
ate in real property along the line of the Pacific
road. Perhaps, I should add that this conversation,
which I have always remembered very distinctly,
took place here, in Hiram. I have remembered .the
conversation the more distinctly from the circum-
stances that gave rise to it. Having been intimately
acquainted with you for twelve or fifteen years, and
having had a considerable knowledge of your pecun-
iary affairs, I asked you how you were getting on,
and especially whether you were managing to reduce
your debts. In reply, you gave me a detailed state-
ment of your affairs, and concluded, by saying you had
had some stock offered you, which, if you bought it,
would probably make you some money. You then
proceeded to state the case, as I have stated it above.

I cannot fix the time of the conversation more
definitely than to say it was certainly three, and
probably four, years ago.

Very truly, yours,

B. A. Hinsdale,

President of Hiram College

Hon. J. A. Garfield, Washington, D. C.

The other letter was addressed to the Speaker ot
the House, and is as follows :

Philadelphia, February 15, 1873.

My Dear Sir : — From the beginning of the investi-
gation concerning Mr. Ames' use of the Credit Mo

272 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

bilier, I believe that General Garfield was free from
all guilty connection with that business. This opin-
ion was founded, not merely on my confidence in his
integrity, but on some special knowledge of his case.
I may have told you all about it in conversation, but
I desire now to repeat it, by way of reminder.

I assert unhesitatingly that, whatever General Gar-
field may have done, or forborne to do, he acted in
profound ignorance of the nature and character of
the thing which Mr. Ames was proposing to sell.
He had not the slightest suspicion that he was to be
taken into a ring organized for the purpose of de-
frauding the public ; nor did he know that the stock
was in any manner connected with anything which
came, or could come, within the legislative jurisdic-
tion of Congress. The case against him lacks the
scienter which alone constitutes guilt.

In the winter of 1 869-' 70, I told General Garfield
of the fact that his name was on Ames' list ; that
Ames charged him with being one of his distributees;
explained to him the character, origin and objects of
the Credit Mobilier ; pointed out the connection it
had with congressional legislation, and showed him
how impossible it was for a member of Congress to
hold stock in it without bringing his private interests
in conflict with his public duty. That all this was to
him a perfectly new revelation, I am as sure as I can
be of such a fact, or of any fact, which is capable of
being proved only by moral circumstances. He told
me, then, the whole story of Train's offer to him, and
Ames' subsequent solicitation, and his own action in
the premises, much as he details it to the committee.
I do not undertake to reproduce the conversation ;
but the effect of it all was to convince me thoroughly
that, when he listened to Ames, he was perfectly un-
conscious of anything evil. I watched carefully
ever)' word that fell from him on this point, and did

OP GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 2?3

not regard his narrative of the transaction, in other
respects, with much interest, because, in my view,
everything else was insignificant. I did not care
whether he had made a bargain technically binding
or not ; his integrity depended upon the question,
whether he acted with his eyes open. If he had
known the true character of the proposition made to
him, he would not have endured it, much less em-
braced it.

Now, couple this with Mr. Ames' admission that
he gave no explanation whatever of the matter to
General Garfield ; then, reflect that not a particle of
proof exists to show that he learned anything about
it, previous to his conversation with me, and I think
you will say that it is altogether unjust to put him on
the list of those who, knowingly and willfully, joined
the fraudulent association in question.

J. S. BLACfc.

Hon. J. G. Blaine,

Speaker of House of Representatives.

To these may be added the facts, recently pub-
lished by Colonel Donn Piatt of this city, th it, in
the winter of i86<^-'yo, he had occasion to look into
the history of the Credit Mobilier company, and
found the same state of facts concerning my comec-
tion with it, as are set forth in the letters quoted
above.

Whether my understanding of the facts is co.rect
or not, it is manifest, from the testimony given above,
that, in the spring of 1868, and in the autumn 0! that
year, and again in the winter of 1869, when I , ould
have no motive to mis-represent the facts, I staf ol the
18

274 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

case to these gentlemen, substantially as it is stated
in my testimony before the committee.

But it has been charged in the newspapers that,
during the Presidential campaign, I denied any
knowledge of the subject, or, at least, that I allowed
the impression to be made upon the public mind that
I knew nothing of it. To this answer, I wrote no
'etter on the subject, and made no statement in any
public address, except to deny, in the broadest terms,
the only charge then made, — that I had been bribed
by Oakes Ames.

When the charges first appeared in the newspapers,
I was in Montana Territory, and heard nothing of
them until my return, on the 13th or 14th of Septem-
ber. On the following day, I met General Boynton,
correspondent of the Cincinnati Gazette, and related
to him, briefly, what I remembered about the offer to
sell the stock. - I told him I should write no letter
on the subject, but if he thought best to publish the
substance of what I had stated to him, he could do
so. The same day he wrote and telegraphed from
Washington, to the Cincinnati Gazette, under date of
September 15, 1872, the following, which is a brief
but correct report of my statement to him :

General Garfield, who has just arrived here from
the Indian country, has to-day had the first opportu-
nity of seeing the charges connecting his name with
receiving shares of the Credit Mobilier from Oakes
Ames. He authorizes the statement that he never
subscribed for a single share of the stock, and that
he never received, or saw a share of it. When the

Or GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 27$

company was first formed, George Francis Train,
then active in it, came to Washington, and exhibited
a list of subscribers, of leading capitalists, and some
members of Congress, to the stock of the company.
The subscription was described as a popular one of
$1,000 cash. Train urged General Garfield to sub-
scribe, on two occasions, and each time, he declined.
Subsequently, he was again informed that the list was
nearly completed, but that a chance remained for
him to subscribe, when he again declined ; and to this
day, he has not subscribed for, or received, any share
of stock or bond of the company.

This dispatch was widely copied in the newspapers
at the time, and was the only statement I made or
authorized. One thing in connection with the case,
I withheld from the public. When I saw the letters
of Oakes Ames to Mr. McCorab, I was convinced,
from what Judge Black had told me, in 1869, that
they were genuine, and that Ames had pretended to
McComb that he had sold the Credit Mobilier stock
for the purpose of securing the influence of members
of Congress in any legislation that might arise touch-
ing his interests. I might have published the fact
that I had heard this, and now believed Ames had so
represented it ; though, at the time Judge Black gave
me the information, I thought quite likely he was
mistaken. I did not know to what extent any othc
member of Congress had had negotiations with Mr
Ames ; but knowing the members whose names were
published in connection with the charges, and be-
lieving them to be men of the highest integrity, I
did not think it just, either to them, or to the party

27«> THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

with which we acted, to express my opinion of the
genuineness of Ames' letters, at a time when a false
construction would doubtless have been placed upon
it

Here, I might rest the case, but for some of the
testimony given by Mr. Ames, in reference to myself.
I shall consider it carefully, and shall-make quota-
tions of his language, or refer to it, as printed in
the report, so that the correctness of my citations
may, in every case, be verified.

To bring the discussion into as narrow a compass
as possible, the points of agreement and difference
between Mr. Ames and myself may thus be stated :

We agree that, soon after the beginning of the
session of 1867-8, Mr. Ames offered to sell me ten
shares of the Credit Mobilier stock, at par and the
accrued interest ; that I never paid him any money
on that offer ; that I never received a certificate of
stock; that after the month of June, 1868, I never
received, demanded, or was offered any dividend, in
any form, on that stock. We also agree that I once
received from Mr. Ames a small sum of money. On
the following points we disagree : He claims that I
agreed to take the stock. I deny it. He claims that
I received from him $329, and no more, as a balance
of dividends on the stock. This I deny, and assert
that I borrowed from him 5 300, and no more, and
afterwards returned it ; and that I have never re-
ceived anything from him on account of the stock.

In discussing the testimony relating to myself, it

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 277

becomes necessary, for a full exhibition of the argu-
ment, to refer to that concerning others.

It has been said that in Mr. Ames' first testimony,
he withheld, or concealed, the facts generally ; and
hence, that what he said at that time, concerning any
one person, is of but little consequence. The weight
and value of his first testimony, concerning any one
person, can be ascertained only by comparing it witb
his testimony, given at the same examination, con-
cerning others.

In that first examination, of December 17, Mr.
Ames mentions, by name, sixteen members of Con-
gress, who were said to have had dealings with him,
in reference to Credit Mobilier stock. Eleven of
these, he says, in that testimony, bought the stock;
but he there sets me down among the five who did
not buy it. He says : * He [Garfield] did not pay
for it or receive it.'

He was, at the same time, cross-examined, in re-
gard to the dividends he paid to different persons ;
and he testified that he paid one or more dividends
to eight different members of Congress, and that
three others, being original subscribers, drew their
dividends, not from him, but directly from the com-
pany. To several of the eight, he says, he paid all
the dividends that accrued. But, in the same cross-
examination, he testified that he did not remember
to have paid me any dividends, nor that he had let
me have any money. The following is the whole of
his testimony concerning me, on cross-examination :

Q. In reference to Mr. Garfield, you say that you

278 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

agreed to get ten shares for him, and to hold them
till he could pay for them, and that he never did pay
for them, nor receive them ? — A. Yes, sir.

Q. He never paid any money on that stock, nor re-
ceived any money from it? — A. Not on account of
it.

Q. He received no dividends? — A. No, sir; I
think not. He says he did not. My own recollec-
tion is not very clear.

Q. So that, as you understand, Mr. Garfield never
parted with any money, nor received any money on
that transaction ? — A. No, sir; he had some money
from me once, some three or four hundred dollars,
and called it a loan. He says that that is all he ever
received from me, and that he considered it a loan.
He never took his stock, and never paid for it.

Q. Did you understand it so? — A. Yes; I am
willing to so understand it. I do not recollect pay-
ing him any dividend, and have forgotten that I paid

him any money.

***** * **

Q. Who received the dividends? — A. Mr. Patter-
son, Mr. Bingham, James F. Wilson ; and I think Mr.
Colfax received a part of them. I do not know
whether he received them all or not. I think Mr.
Scofield received a part of them. Messrs. Kelley and
Garfield never paid for their stock, and never received
their dividends.

Certainly, it cannot be said that Mr. Ames has
evinced any partiality for me ; and if he was attempt-
ing to shield any of those concerned, it will not be
claimed that I was one of his favorites.

In his first testimony, he claims to have spoken
from memory, and without the aid of his documents.
But he did, then, distinctly testify that he sold the

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 279

stock to eleven members, and paid dividends to eight
of them. He not only did not put me in either of
those lists, but distinctly testified that I never took
the stock, nor received the dividends arising from it

His second testimony was given on the 22d of
January, five weeks after his first. In assigning to
this, and all his subsequent testimony, its just weight,
it ought to be said, that before he gave it, an event
occurred which made it strongly for his interest to
prove a sale of the stock which he held as trustee.
Besides the fact that McComb had already an equity
suit pending in Philadelphia, to compel Mr. Ames to
account to hint for this same stock ; another suit was
threatened, after he had given his first testimony, to
make him account to the company /for all the stock
he had not sold as trustee. His first testimony was
given on the 1 7th of December, and was made public
on the 6th of January. On the 15th of January, T. C.
Durant, one of the heaviest stockholders of the Credit
Mobilier company, and, for a long time, its president,
was examined as a witness, and said, ' The stock
that stands in the name of Mr. Ames, as trustee,
I claim belongs to the company yet ; and I have a
summons in a suit, in my pocket, waiting to catch him
in New York to serve the papers.' Of course, if, as
a trustee, he had made sale of any portion of this
stock, and. afterward, as an individual, had bought it
back, he could not be compelled to return it to the
company.

Nowhere in Mr. Ames' subsequent testimony does
He claim to remember the transaction between him-

280 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

self and me, any differently from what he first stated
it to be. But from the memoranda found, or made,
after his first examination, he infers and declares that
there was a sale of the stock to me, and a payment
to me of #329, on account of dividends.

Here, again, his testimony concerning me should
be compared with his testimony given at the same
time concerning others.

The memoranda, out of which all his additional
testimony grew, consisted of certificates of stock,
receipts, checks on the sergeant-at-arms, and entries
in his diary. I will consider these in the order
stated.

To two members of Congress, he delivered certifi-
cates of Credit Mobilier stock, which as trustee he
had sold to them ; and in a third case, he delivered
a certificate of stock to the person to whom a mem-
ber had sold it. But Mr. Ames testifies that he never
pave me a certificate of stock ; that I never de-
manded one ; and that no certificate was ever spoken
of between us.

In the case of five members, he gave to them, or
received from them, regular receipts of payment on
account of stock and dividends. But nowhere is it
claimed, or pretended, that any receipt was ever given
by me, or to me, on account of any dividends arising
from it.

Again, to five of the members, Mr. Ames gave
checks on the sergeant-at-arms, payable to them by
name ; and these checks were produced in evidence.
In the case of three others, he produced checks bear-

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 2^1

ing on their face the initials of the persons to whom
he claimed they were paid. But he nowhere pretended
to have, or ever to have had any check bearing either
my name or my initials, or any mark or indorsement
connecting it with me.

In regard to dividends claimed, in his subsequent
testimony, to have been paid to different members, in
two cases, he says he paid all the dividends that ac-
crued on the stock from December, 1867, to May 6,
1 87 1. In a third case, all the accretions of the stock
were received by the person to whom he sold it, as
the result of a re-sale. -In a fourth case, he claims to
have paid money on the 22d of September, 1 868, on
account of dividends, and in a fifth case, he claims to
have paid a dividend in full, January 22, 1869. One
purchaser sold his ten shares in the winter of 1 868- 69,
and received thereon a net profit of at least $3,000.
Yet Mr. Ames repeatedly swears that he never paid
me but $329 ; that after June, 1868, he never tend
ered to me, nor did I ever demand from him, any divi-
dend; and that there was never any conversation
between us relating to dividends.

After Mr. Ames had stated that he remembered
no conversation between us in regard to the adjust-
ment of these accounts, the committee asked :

Q. Was this the only dealing you had with him in
reference to any stock ? — A. I think so.

Q. Was it the only transaction of any kind? — A.
The only transaction.

Q. Has that $329 ever been paid to you? — A. I
have no recollection of it

282 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

v Q. Have you any belief that it ever has? — A. No,
sir.

Q: Did you ever loan General Garfield $300 ? —
A. Not to my knowledge ; except that he calls this a
loan.

Q. There were dividends of Union Pacific railroad
stock on these ten shares? — A. Yes, sir.

Q. Did General Garfield ever receive these? — A
No, sir. He never has received but $329. * * *

Q. Has there been any conversation between you
and him in reference to the Pacific stock he was
entitled to? — A. No, sir.

Q. Has he ever called for it ? — A. No, sir.

Q. Have you ever offered it to him ? — A. No, sir.

Q. lias there been any conversation in relation to
it? — A. No, sir.

The assertion that he withheld the payment of
dividends, because of the McComb suit, brought in
November, 1868, is wholly broken down by the fact
that he did pay the dividends to several persons dur-
ing a period of two years, after the suit was com-
menced.

The only other memoranda offered as evidence are
the entries in Mr. Ames' diary for 1868. That
book contains a separate statement of an account
with eleven members of Congress, showing the num-
ber of shares of stock sold, or intended to be sold,
to each, with the interest and dividends thereon.
Across the face of nine of these accounts, long lines
are drawn, crossing each other, showing, as Mr.
Ames says, that in each such case the account was
adjusted and closed. Three of these entries of ac-
counts are thus crossed oS. and the three members

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 283

referred to therein testify that they never bought
the stock. The account entered under my name is
one of the three that are not crossed off. Here
is the entry in full.

GARFIELD.
10 shares Credit M. ...... $1,00000

7 mos. 10 days 43 3°

$1,043 36
80 per ct bd. dw., at 07 77° 00

$267 36
Int'st to June ao 3 64

271 00
1,000 C. M. ==

' t.ooo U. P.

This entry is a mere undated memorandum, and
indicates neither payment, settlement or sale. In
reference to it, the following testimony was given by
Mr. Ames, on cross-examination :

Q. This statement of Mr. Garfield's account is not
crossed off, which indicates, does it, that the mat-
ter has never been settled or adjusted ? — A. No, sir ,
it never has.

Q. Can you state whether you have any other
entry in relation to Mr. Garfield? — A. No, sir.

Comparing Mr. Ames' testimony in reference to
me, with that in reference to others, it appears that
when he testified from his memory alone, he dis-
tinctly and affirmatively excepted me from the list of
those who bought the stock, or received the divi-
dends ; and that subsequently, in every case save my
own, he produced some one or more of the following
documents as evidence, viz.. certificates of stock :

284 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

receipts of money or dividends ; checks bearing
either the full names or the initials of the persons to
whom they purported to have been paid; or entries
in his diary, of accounts marked ' adjusted and
closed.' But no one of the classes of memoranda
here described was produced in reference to me ; nor
was it pretended that any one such, referring to me,
ever existed.

In this review, I neither assert nor intimate that
sales of stock are proved in the other cases referred
to. In several cases such proof was not made. But I
do assert that none of the evidences mentioned above
exist in reference to me.

Having thus stated the difference between the tes-
timony relating to other persons, and that relating to
me, I now notice the testimony on which it is at-
tempted to reach the conclusion that I did agree
to take the stock, and did receive $329 on account
of it.

On the 22d of January, Mr. Ames presented to
the committee a statement of an alleged account
with me, which I quote, —

J. A. G., Dr.

1868. To 10 shares stock Credit Mobilier of A. $1,000 00

Interest 47 00

June 19. To cash 329 00

$1,376 00

Cr.
1868. By dividend bonds, Union Pacific railroad,

$1,000, at 80 per cent, less 2 per cent. $776 00
June 17. By dividend collected for your account . 600 00

$»,376 00

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 285

This account, and other similar ones presented at
the same time, concerning other members, he claimed
to have copied from his memorandum-book. But
when the memorandum -book was subsequently pre-
sented, it was found that the account here quoted
was not copied from it, but was made up partly from
memory, and partly from such memoranda as Mr.
Ames had discovered after his first examination.

By comparing this account with the entry made in
his diary, and already quoted, it will be seen that
they are not duplicates, either in substance or form ;
and that in this account a new element is added,
namely, an alleged payment of £329 in cash, on June
19. This is the very element in dispute.

His only evidence, that this sum was paid me, is
found in the production of a check drawn by Mr.
Ames on the sergeant-at-arms. The following is

the language of the check :

June 22, 1868.
Pay O. A., or bearer, three hundred and twenty-
nine dollars, and charge to my account

Oakes Ames.

This check bears no indorsement or other mark,
than the words and figures given above. It was
drawn on the 2 2d day of June, and, as shown by the
books of the sergeant-at-arms, was paid the same day
by the paying teller. But if this check was paid to
me on the account just quoted, it must have been
delivered to me three days before it was drawn ; for
the account says I received the payment on the 19th
' >f June.

286 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

There is nothing but the testimony of Mr. Ames
that in any way connects this check with me ; and,
as the committee find that the check was paid to
me, I call special attention to all the testimony that
bears upon the questior

When Mr. Ames testified that he paid me $329 as
a dividend on account of the stock, the following
question was asked him :

Q. How was that paid ? — A. Paid in money, I
believe.

At a later period in the examination :

Q. You say that $329 was paid to him. How was
that paid? — A. I presume by a check on the ser-
geant-at-arms. I find there are checks filed, without
indicating who they were for.

One week later, the check, referred to above, was
produced, and the following examination was had :

Q. This check seems to have been paid to some-
body, and taken up by the sergeant-at-arms. Those
initials are your own ? — Yes, sir.

Q. Do you know who had the benefit of this
check? — A. I cannot tell you.

Q. Do you think you received the money on it
yourself? — A. I have no idea. I may have drawn
the money and handed it to another person. It was
paid in that transaction. It may have been paid to
Mr. Garfield. There were several sums of that
amount.

Q. Have you any memory in reference to this
check ? — A. I have no memory as to that particular
check.

Still later in the examination occurs the following :
Q. In regard to Mr. Garfield, do you know wheth-

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 287

er you gave him a check, or paid him the money ? —
A. I think I did not pay him the money. He got it
from the sergeant-at-arms.

Still later, in the same examination, occurs the
following :

Q. You think the check, on which you wrote
nothing to indicate the payee, must have been Mr.
Gai field's? — A. Yes, sir. That is my judgment

On the nth of February, twelve days later still,
the subject came up again, and Mr. Ames said :

A. I am not sure how I paid Mr. Garfield.

Still later, in a cross-examination in reference to
Mr. Colfax, the following occurs :

Q. In testifying in Mr. Garfield's case, you say
you may have drawn the money on the check, and
paid him. Is not your answer equally applicable to
the case of Mr. Colfax ? — A. No, sir.

Q. Why not ? — A. I put Mr. Colfax's initials on
the check, while I put no initials on Mr. Garfield's ;
and I may have drawn the money myself.

Q. Did not Mr. Garfield's check belong to him ?
— A. Mr. Garfield had not paid for his stock. He
was entitled to $329 balance. But Mr. Colfax paid
for his, and I had no business with his #1,200,

Q. Is your recollection in regard to this payment
to Mr. Colfax any more clear than your recollection
as to the payment to Mr. Garfield? — A. Yes, sir; I
think it is.

And, finally, in the examination of Mr. Dillon,
cashier of the sergeant-at-arms, the following is re-
corded :

O. There is a check payable to Oakes Ames, or
bearer. Have you any recollection of that ? — A

288 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLJC SERVICES

That was paid to himself. I have no doubt, myself,
that I paid that to Mr. Ames.

Reviewing the testimony on this point (and I have
quoted it all), it will be seen that Mr. Ames, several
times, asserts that he does not know whether he paid
me the check or not. He states positively that he
has no special recollection of the check. His testi-
mony is wholly inferential. In one of the seven
paragraphs quoted, he says he paid me the money ;
in another, he says he may have paid me the money ;
in three of them, he thinks, or presumes, that he paid
me the check ; and in the other two, he says he does
not know.

The cashier of the=-sergeant-at-arms has no doubt
that Mr. Ames himself drew the money on the check.
And yet, upon this vague and wholly inconclusive
testimony, and almost alone upon it, is based the
assumption that I received from Mr. Ames $329, as
a dividend on the stock. I affirm, with perfect dis-
tinctness of recollection, that I received no check
from Mr. Ames. The only money I ever received
from him was in currency.

The only other evidence, in support of the assump-
tion that he paid me #329, as a balance on the stock, is
found in the entries in his diary for 1868. The value
of this class of memoranda depends altogether upon
their character, and upon the business habits of the
man who makes them. On this latter point, the fol-
lowing testimony of Mr. Ames is important:

Q. Is it your habit, as a matter of business, in con-
ducting various transactions with different persons,

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 289

to do it without making any memoranda? — A. This
was my habit. Until within a year or two, I have had
no book-keeper, and I used to keep all my own mat-
ters in my own way, and very carelessly, I admit

The memorandum-book, in which these entries were
made, was not presented to the committee until the
nth of February, one week before they made their
report. This book does not contain continuous
entries of current transactions, with consecutive dates.
It is in no sense a day-book ; but contains a loose,
irregular mass of memoranda, which may have been
made at the time of the transactions, or long after-
ward. Mr. Ames says of it in his testimony :

Q. What was the character of the book in which
the memoranda were made? — A. It was in a small
pocket memorandum, and some of it on slips of
paper.

It is not pretended that this book contains a com-
plete record of payments and receipts. And yet,
besides the check, already referred to, this book, so
made up, contains the only evidence, or pretended
evidence, on which it is claimed that I agreed to take
the stock. It should be remembered that every por-
tion of this evidence, both check and book, is of Mr.
Ames' own making. I have already referred to the
undated memorandum of an account in this book,
under my name, and have shown that it neither
proved a sale of stock, or any payment on account of
it.

There are but two other entries in the book relating
to me, and they are two lists of names, substantially
iQ

2gO THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

duplicates of each other, with various amounts set
opposite each. They are found on pages 450 and
453 of the testimony. The word 'paid' is marked
before the first name on one of these lists, and ditto
marks placed under the word 'paid,' and opposite
the remaining names. But the value of this entry, as
proof of payment, will be seen from the cross-exami-
nation of Mr. Ames, which immediately follows the
list:

Q. This entry, 'Paid S. Colfax $1,200/ is the
amount which you paid by this check on the sergeant-
at-arms ? — A. Yes, sir.

Q. Was this entry upon this page of these various
names intended to show the amount you were to pay,
or that you had paid; was that made at this date? —
A. I do not know ; it was made about that time. I
would not have written it on Sunday ; it is not very
likely. It was made on a blank page. It is simply
.a list of names.

Q. Were these names put down after you had made
the payments, or before, do you think ? — A. Before,
I think.

Q. You think you made this list before the parties
referred to had actually received their checks, or re-
ceived the money? — A. Yes, sir; that was to show
whom I had to pay, and who were entitled to receive
the 60 per cent, dividend. It shows whom I had to
pay here in Washington.

Q. It says ' paid ? ' — A. Yes, "sir ; well, I did pay-
it.

Q. What I want to know is, whether the list was
made out before, or after payment? — A. About the
same time, I suppose ; probably, before.

The other list, bearing the same names and amounts,

OF GENERAL JAMES A GARFIELD. 29 1

shows no other evidence that the several sums were
paid, than a cross marked opposite each amount But
concerning this, Mr. Ames testifies that it was a list
of what was to be pafd, and that the cross was sub-
sequently added to show that the amount had been
paid.

Neither of these lists shows anything as to the
time or mode of payment, and would nowhere be ac-
cepted as proof of payment. By Mr. Ames' own
showing, they are lists of persons to whom he expected
to pay the amounts set opposite their names. They
may exhibit his expectations, but they do not prove
the alleged payments. If the exact sum of $329 was
received by me at the time, and under the circum-
stances alleged by Mr. Ames, it implies an agreement
to take the stock. It implies, furthermore, that Mr.
Ames had sold Pacific railroad bonds for me ; that
he had received, also, a cash dividend for me, and had
accounted to me as trustee for these receipts, and
the balance of the proceeds.

Now, I affirm, with the firmest conviction of the
correctness of my statement, that I never heard until
this investigation began, that Mr. Ames ever sold
any bonds, or performed any other stock transactions
on my behalf, and no act of mine was ever based on
such a supposition.

The only remaining testimony bearing upon me,
is that in which Mr. Ames refers to conversations
between himself and me, after the investigation
began. The first of these was of his own seeking,
and occurred before he or I had testified. T.oon

292 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

after the investigation began, Mr. Ames asked mc
what I remembered of our talk in 1867-68, in refer-
ence to the Credit Mobilier company. I told him I
could best answer his question by reading to him the
statement I had already prepared to lay before the
committee, when I should be called. Accordingly,
on the following day, I took my written statement to
the Capitol, and read it to him carefully, sentence by
sentence, and asked him to point out anything which
he might think incorrect. He made but two criticisms ;
one, in regard to a date, and the other, that he thought
it was the Credit Foncier and not the Credit Mobilier
that Mr. Train asked me to subscribe to in i866-'67.
When I read the paragraph in which I stated that I
had once borrowed #300 of him, he remarked, ' I
believe I did let you have some money, but I had
forgotten it' He said nothing to indicate that he
regarded me as having purchased the stock ; and
from that conversation, I did not doubt that he re-
garded my statement substantially correct. His first
testimony, given a few days afterward, confirmed me
in this opinion.

I had another interview with Mr. Ames, of my own
seeking, to which he alludes elsewhere ; and for a
full understanding of it, a statement of some previous
facts is necessary. I gave my testimony before the
committee, and in Mr. Ames' hearing, on the morn-
ing of January 14. It consisted of the statement I
had already read to Mr. Ames, and of the cross-exam-
ination which followed my reading of the statement,
all of which has been quoted above

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 293

During that afternoon, while I was in the manage-
ment of an appropriation bill in the House, word was
brought to me that Mr. Ames, on coming out of the
committee-room, had declared, in the hearing of
several reporters, that ' Garfield was in league with
Judge Black to break him down ; that it was $400,
not $300, that he had let Garfield have, who had not
only never repaid it, but had refused to repay it*
Though this report of Mr. Ames' alleged declaration
was subsequently found to be false, and was doubtless
fabricated for the purpose of creating difficulty, yet
there were circumstances which, at the time, led me
to suppose that the report was correct. One was,
that Judge Black (who was McComb's counsel in the
suit against Ames) was present at my examination,
and had drawn out on cross-examination my opinion
of the nature of Mr. Ames' relation to the Credit
Mobilier company and the Union Pacific company ;
and the other was, that in Mr. Ames' testimony of
December 17, he had said, 'He (Mr. Garfield) had
some money from me once, some three or four hun-
dred dollars, and called it a loan.' The sum of four
hundred dollars had thus been mentioned in his
testimony, and it gave plausibility to the story that
he was now claiming that, as the amount he had
loaned me.

Supposing that Mr. Ames had said what was re-
ported, I was deeply indignant ; and, with a view of
drawing from him a denial or retraction of the state-
ment, or, if he persisted in it, to pay him twice over,
so that he could no longer say or pretend that there

294 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

existed between us any unsettled transaction, I drew
some money from the office of the sergeant-at-arms,
and, going to my committee-room, addressed him
the following note :

House of Representatives,

January 14, 1873.

Sir : — I have just been informed, to my utter amaze-
ment, that, after coming out of the committee-room
this morning, you said in the presence of several re-
porters that you had loaned me four, instead of three,
hundred dollars, and that I had not only refused to
pay you, but was aiding your accusers to injure you
in the investigation. I shall call the attention of the
committee to it, unless I find I am misinformed. To
bring the loan question to an immediate issue between
us, I inclose herewith #400. If you wish to do justice
to the truth and to me, you will return it, and correct
the alleged statement, if you made it. If not, you
will keep the money, and thus be paid twice and more.
Silence on your part will be a confession that you
have deeply wronged me.

J. A. Garfield.

Hon. Oakes Ames.

After the House had adjourned for the day, I
found, on returning to my committee-room, that I had
omitted to inclose the note with the money, which
had been sent to the House post-office. I immediate-
ly sought Mr. Ames to deliver the note, but failed to
find him at his hotel, or elsewhere, that evening.
Early the next morning, January 15, I found him,
and delivered the note. He denied having said, or
claimed, any of the things therein set forth, and wrote
on the back of my letter the following :

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 295

Washington, January 15, 1873.
Dear Sir : — I return you your letter with inclosures,
and I utterly deny ever having said that you refused
to pay me, or that it was four, instead of three hun-
dred dollars, or that you was aiding ray accusers. I
also wish to say that there has never been any but
the most friendly feelings between us, and no trans-
action, in the least degree, that can be censured by
any fair-minded person. I herewith return vou the
four hundred dollars as not belonging to me.

Yours, truly,

Oakes Ames.
Hon. J. A. Garfield.

From inquiry of the reporters, to whom the remarks
were alleged to have been made, I had become satis-
fied that the story was wholly false ; and when Mr.
Ames added his denial, I expressed to him my re-
gret that I had written this note in anger and upon
false information. I furthermore said to Mr. Ames
that, if he had any doubt in reference to the repay-
ment of the loan, I wished him to keep the money.
He refused to keep any part of it, and his conversa-
tion indicated that he regarded all transactions be-
tween us settled.

Before I left his room, however, he said he had
some memoranda which seemed to indicate that the
money I had of him was on account of stock ; and
asked me, if he did not, some time in 1868, deliver
to me a statement to that effect I told him if he had
any account of that sort, I was neither aware of it,
nor responsible for it ; and thereupon I made sub-
stantially the following statement :

296 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

Mr. Ames, the only memoranda you ever showed
me was in 1867-68, when speaking to me of this
proposed sale of stock,, you figured out, on a little
piece of paper, what you supposed would be realized
from an investment of $1,000; and, as I remember,
you wrote down these figures :

1,000

1,000

400

2,400
as to the amounts, you expected to realize.

While saying this to Mr. Ames, I wrote the figures,
as above, on a piece of paper lying on his table, to
show him what the only statement was, he had ever
made to me. It is totally false that these figures had
any other meaning than that I have here given ; nor
did I say anything, out of which could be fabricated
such a statement.

In his testimony of January 29, Mr. Ames gives a
most remarkable account of this interview. Remem-
bering the fact, by him undisputed, that there had
been no communication between us on this subject,
for more than four years before this investigation
began, notice the following :

Q. Did you have any conversation, in reference to
the influence this transaction would have on the elec-
tion last fall ? — A. Yes, he said it would be very in-
jurious to him.

Q. What else, in reference to that ? — A. I am a
very bad man to repeat conversation ; I cannot re-
member.

That is, he makes me, on the 15th of January, 1873,

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 297

express the fear that this transaction will injure me
in the election of October, 1872.
Again :

Q. You may state whether, in conversation with
you, Mr. Garfield claims, as he claims before us, that
the only transaction between you was borrowing
$300. — A. No, sir; he did not claim that with me.

Q. State how he did claim it with you ; what was
said? — A. I cannot remember half of it. * *
He [Garfield] stated, that when he came back from
Europe, being in want of funds, he called on me, to
loan him a sum of money. He thought he had re-
paid it. I do not know ; I do not remember. * *

Q. How long after that transaction [the offer to
sell Credit Mobilier stock] did he go to Europe ? —
A. I believe it was a year or two. * *

Q. Do you not know that he did not go to Europe
for nearly two years afterward? — A. No, I do not.
It is my impression, it was two years afterward, but
I cannot remember dates.

I should think not, if this testimony is an example
of his memory !

It is known to thousands of people, that I went to
Europe in the summer of 1867, and at no other time.
I sailed from New York on the 13th of July, 1867,
spent several days of August, in Scotland, with
Speaker Blaine and Senator Morrill of Vermont,
and returned to New York on the 9th of the follow-
ing November — three weeks before the beginning
of the session of Congress.

The books of the sergeant-at-arms of the House
show that, before going, I had assigned several
months' pay, in advance, to a banker, who had ad-

298 the life, speeches, and public services

vanced me money, for the expenses of the trip. To
break the weight of this fact, which showed why I
came to need a small loan, Mr. Ames says I did not
go to Europe till nearly two years afterward.

If a reason be sought why he gave such testimony,
it may perhaps be found on the same page from
which the last quotation is made :

Q. How did you happen to retain that little stray
memorandum? — A. I do not know. I found it in
my table two or three days afterward. I did not pay
any attention to it at the time, until I found there
was to be a conflict of testimony, and I thought that
might be something worth preserving.

How did he find out, after that time, that 'there
was to be a conflict of testimony?' The figures
were made on that piece of paper, January 15, the
day after I had given my testimony, and four weeks
after he had given his first testimony. There was no
conflict, except what he himself made ; and that con-
flict was as marked between his first statement and
his subsequent ones, as between the latter and mine.

There runs through all his testimony, now under
consideration, an intimation that I was in a state of
alarm, was beseeching Mr. Ames to 'let me off
easy,' 'to say as little about it as possible,' 'to let
it go as a loan,' 'to save my reputation,' that I 'felt
very bad,' was ' in great distress,' ' hardly knew
what I said,' and other such expressions.

1 should have been wholly devoid of sensibility, if
I had not felt keenly the suspicions, the false accu-
sations, the reckless calumnies with which the public

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 299

nind was filled, while the investigation was in prog-
ress. But there is not the smallest fragment of
truth in the statement, or rather the insinuation, that
I ever asked, or wanted, anything from Mr. Ames,
on this subject, but simple justice and the truth.

The spirit in which a portion of the public treated
the men whose conduct was being investigated, may
be understood from the following questions, put to
Mr. Ames, in the midst of an examination, not at all
relating to me:

Q. In that conversation, with Mr. Garfield, was
anything said, by him, about your being an old man,
near the end of your career, and his being compara-
tively a young man? — A. No, sir; nothing of that
sort.

It is manifest that this question was suggested by
some of the inventive bystanders, in hopes of making
an item for a new sensation.

The most absurd and exaggerated statements were
constantly finding their way into the public press, in
reference to every subject and person connected with
the investigation, and this question is an illustration.

In no communication with Mr. Ames, did I ever
say anything inconsistent with my testimony before
the committee.

Conscious that I had done no wrong, from the be-
ginning to the end of this affair, I had nothing to
conceal, and no favors to ask, except that the whole
truth should be known. I was in the committee-
room but once, during the investigation, and I went
*4«««i, only wliea summoned to give my testimony.

300 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

From a review of the whole subject, the following
conclusions are fairly and clearly established :

I. That the Credit Mobilier company was a State
corporation, regularly organized ; and that neither
its charter, nor the terms of its contract, of October
15, 1867, disclosed anything which indicated that the
company was engaged in any fraudulent or improper
enterprise.

II. That seven persons, inside the Credit Mobilier
company, calling themselves trustees, obtained the
control of the franchises, and of a majority of the
stock, of both the Credit Mobilier and of the Union
Pacific railroad company ; and, while holding such
double control, they made a contract with them-
selves, by which they received, for building the road,
a sum greatly beyond the real cost of construction:
and, in adjusting the payments, they received stock
and bonds of the railroad company, at a heavy dis-
count

******

That these profits were distributed, not to the
stockholders of the Credit Mobilier proper, but to
the seven trustees, and their proxies — the holders
of this stock — and that this arrangement was kept
secret by its managers.

III. That, in 1867-8, Mr. Ames offered to sell
small amounts of this stock to several leading mem-
bers of Congress, representing it as an ordinary in-
vestment, promising fair profits ; but, but in every
such offer, he said nothing about any arrangement,

OF GENERAL JAMES A GARFIELD. 301

by which the profits were to be made, or what would
be the amount of dhidends likely to be realized.
While thus offering this stock, he was writing to
one of his associates, that he was disposing of the
stock ' where it would do most good,' which seemed
to intimate that he was thereby gaining influence
in Congress, to prevent investigation into the af-
fairs of the road. His letters, and the list of names,
which he gave to McComb, represent many persons
who never did buy or agree to buy it, and also repre-
sent a much larger amount than he sold. Mr.
Ames' letters and testimony contain contradictions,
not only of his own statements, but also of the
statements of most of the other witnesses ; and
it is fair, in judging of its credibility, to take into
some account his interests involved in the contro-
versy.

IV. That in reference to myself, the following
points are clearly established by the evidence :

1. That I neither purchased, nor agreed to pur-
chase, the Credit Mobilier stock, which Mr. Ames
offered to sell me ; nor did I receive any dividend
arising from it. This appears from my own testi-
mony ; and, from the first testimony given by Mr.
Ames, which is not overthrown by his subsequent
statements ; and is strongly confirmed by the fact
that, in the case of each of those who did purchase
the stock, there was produced, as evidence of the sale,
either a certificate of stock, receipt of payment, a
check drawn in the name of the payee, or entries in
Mr. Ames' diary, of a stock account marked, adjusted,

302 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

and closed ; but, that no one of these evidences ex-
ists, in reference to me. This position is further
confirmed by the subsequent testimony of Mr. Ames,
who, though he claims that. I did receive $329 from
him on account of the stock, yet he repeatedly testi-
fies that, beyond that amount, I never received or
demanded any dividend, that he did not offer me
any, nor was the subject alluded to, in conversation
between us.

Mr. Ames admits, that after December, 1867, the
various stock and bond dividends, on the stock he
had sold, amounted to an aggregate of more than
800 per cent.; and, that between January, 1868, and
May, 1 87 1, all these dividends were paid to several
of those who purchased the stock. My conduct was
wholly inconsistent with the supposition of such
ownership; for, during the year 1869, I was borrow-
ing money, to build a house here, in Washington,
and was securing my creditors by giving mortgages
on my property ; and, all this time, it is admitted
that I received no dividends, and claimed none.

The attempt to prove a sale of the stock to me, is
wholly inconclusive ; for it rests, first, on a check
payable to Mr. Ames himself, concerning which, he
several times says he does not know to whom it was
paid ; and second, upon loose, undated entries in
his diary, which neither prove a sale of the stock nor
any payment on account of it.

The only fact from which it is possible for Mr.
Ames to have inferred an agreement to buy the
stock, was the loan to me, of #300. But that loan

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 303

was made months before the check of June 22, 1868,
and was repaid in the winter of 1869; and, after that
date, there were no transactions of any sort between
us.

And finally, before the investigation was ended.
Mr. Ames admitted that, on the chief point of dilTei-
ence between us, he might be mistaken.

He said he 'considered me the purchaser of the
stock, unless it was borrowed money I had of him ;'
and, at the conclusion of his last testimony, he said :

Mr. Garfield understands this matter as a loan ; he
says I did not explain it to him.

Q. You need not say what Mr. Garfield says. Tell
us what you think.

A. Mr. Garfield might have misunderstood me. *

* I supposed it was like all the rest, but when
Mr. Garfield says he mistook it for a loan ; that he
always understood it to be a loan ; that I did not
make any explanation to him, and did not make any
statement to him ; I may be mistaken. I am a man
of few words, and I may not have made myself un-
derstood to him.

2. That the offer which Mr. Ames made to me, as
I understood it, was one which involved no wrong
or impropriety. I had no reason to believe that
behind this offer to sell a small amount of stock
lay any scheme to defraud the Pacific railroad, or
imperil the interests of the United States. I was not ,
invited to become a party to any scheme of spoliation,
much less was I aware of any attempt to influence
my legislative action, or any subject connected there-

304 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

with. And, on the first intimation that such might
be the nature of the case, I declined any further con-
sideration of the subject.

3. That whatever may have been the facts in the
case, I stated them in my testimony, as I have always
understood them ; and there has been no contradic-
tion, prevarication, or evasion, on my part.

This is demonstrated by the fact that I stated the
case to Mr. Robison, in the spring of 1868, and to
Mr. Hinsdale, in the autumn of that year, and to
Judge Black, in the winter of 1 869-' 70, substantially
as it is stated in my testimony before the committee.

I have shown that, during the presidential cam-
paign, I did not deny having known anything about
the Credit Mobilier company ; that the statement
published in the Cincinnati Gazette, September 15,
is substantially in accord with my testimony before
the committee ; and finally, that during the progress
of the investigation, there was nothing in my con-
versation, or correspondence with Mr. Ames, in any
way, inconsistent with the facts as given in my testi-
mony. To sum it up, in a word : out of an unim-
portant business transaction, the loan of a trifling
sum of money, as a matter of personal accommoda-
tion, and out of an offer, never accepted, has arisen
this famous fabric of accusation and suspicion.

If there be a citizen of the United States, who is
willing to believe that, for #329, I have bartered
away my good name, and to falsehood, have added
perjury, these pages are not addressed t^> him. I)
there be one who thinks that any part of my public

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 305

life has been gauged on so low a level as these charges
would place it, I do not address him — I address those
who are willing to believe that it is possible for a man
to serve the public without personal dishonor.

If any scheming corporations, or corrupt rings,
I have ever found in me a conscious supporter, or
ally, in any dishonorable scheme, they are at full
liberty to disclose it. In the discussion of the many
grave and difficult questions of public policy, which
have occupied the thoughts of the nation, during the
last twelve years, I have borne some part; and I
confidently appeal to the public records for a vindi-
cation of my conduct."

Since the excitement concerning the Credit Mobi-
lier has passed away, public opinion in regard to it,
and concerning General Garfield's connection with it
has undergone a great change; and while the be-
havior of Hon. Oakes Ames is regarded in a much
more favorable light, no man, unless he is the most
reckless and foolish of scandal-mongers, could now
throw any blame upon General Garfield, in connec-
tion with it His whole life has been consistent,
straight forward, and honest, which even his bitter
political enemies will not now deny.

There was another political disturbance, in con-
nection with the vote of Congress, in 1872, to in-
crease the salary of its members, and for which
General Garfield voted, under protest, as the measure
was combined with others he wished very much to
20

306 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

see passed. General Garfield sent to his constitu-
ents an explanation of the matter, when he saw how
sadly they had misconstrued his motives and his
action. It is a complete history of the affair in itself,
and is given in full :

Hiram, Ohio, April 2i, 1873.
On the 3d day of March, the day that completed
the tenth year of my service as your Representative
in Congress, I cast a vote, in company with one hun-
dred and one other Representatives, on account of
which it appears that the following resolution has
lately been adopted by a convention of delegates at
Warren, called to nominate a member of the State
Constitutional Convention :

Resolved, That James A. Garfield, in voting for the retroactive sal-
ary bill, has forfeited the confidence of his constituents, and, there-
fore, we, the representatives of the Republican party of Trumbull
County, in convention assembled, ask him to resign forthwith his
office as our Representative in Congress.

The officers of that convention have not favored
me with a copy of the resolution, and I have learned
of its terms only through the press and private com-
munications. Presuming that the above is the cor-
rect text of the resolution, and waiving all question
of the jurisdiction and authority of that convention
to sit in judgment on the subject, I respond to the
resolution itself. In doing so I assume that those
who framed it were animated only by a sense of pub-
lic duty. I will assume also that they were willing
and even anxious to do me justice, and to state fairly
and truthfully my alleged offense. This, however,
they have not done.

The language of the resolution implies that I voted
to give additional back pay to members of Congress.
It assumes that the retroactive pay was the chief

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. $OJ

provision of the bill for which I did vote. Now, just
such a bill as that language describes was brought
into the House, for the purpose of fastening it as an
amendment to one of the leading appropriation bills.
That effort I resisted at every stage. The bill for
which I did vote now fills twenty-seven pages of the
national statute-book. The offensive retroactive
clause is contained in three lines of the statute.

Whether I ought or ought not to have voted for the
appropriation bill, with the retroactive salary clause in-
corporated in it, depends upon the merits and demer-
its of the bill as a whole. Whether I am in any way
responsible for its offensive provisions depends upon
what efforts I made, or failed to make, to prevent
their adoption.

That it may be clearly understood what I did on
this subject, I will briefly state the facts.

As Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations
it was my duty to see that the annual appropriation
bills were acted upon in the House before the Forty-
Second Congress expired. To do this it was neces-
sary to press them constantly, and to the exclusion
of a great mass of other business. For this purpose
chiefly the House was in session from ten to fifteen
hours in each twenty-four during the last week of the
term.

I had special charge of the legislative appropria-
tion bill, upon the preparation of which my commit-
tee had spent nearly two weeks of labor before the
meeting of Congress. It was the most important of
the twelve annual bills. Its provisions reached every
part of the machinery of the Government in all the
States and Territories of the Union. The amount
appropriated by it was one-seventh of the total annual
expenditures of the Government, exclusive of the
interest on the public debt It contained all the
appropriations required by law for the legislative

308 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

department of the Government ; for the public print-
ing and binding ; for the President and the officers
and employes at the Executive Mansion; for the
seven executive departments at Washington, and all
their bureaus and sub-divisions ; for the sub-treasu-
ries and public depositaries in fourteen cities of the
Union ; for all the officers and agents employed in
the assessment and collection of the internal revenue ;
for the governments of the nine Territories and of
the District of Columbia ; for the mints and the
assay offices ; for the land offices and the surveys of
public lands; and for all the courts, judges, district
attorneys, and marshals of the United States. Be-
sides this, during its progress through the two
Houses, many provisions had been added to the bill
which were considered of vital importance to the
public interests. A section had been added in the
Senate to force the Pacific railroad companies to pay
the arrears of interest on the bonds loaned to them
by the United States, and to commence refunding
the principal.

An investigating committee of the House had
unearthed enormous frauds committed by and against
these companies, and as the result of two months*
labor had framed a bill of several sections to provide
for bringing suits in the courts to recover the vast
sums of which the road and Government had been
plundered, and to prevent further spoliation. That
bill had also been made a part of the appropriation
bill.

While the bill was first passing through the
House, repeated efforts were made to increase the
salaries of different officers of the Government ; in
every instance I resisted these efforts, and but little
increase was made until forty-eight hours before the
Congress expired, when the House loaded upon this
bill an amendment increasing the salaries of the

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 3O9

President, Vice-President, judges of the Supreme
Court, and members of Congress, including those of
the Forty-Second Congress.

An unsuccessful effort had been made three weeks
before to fasten that amendment upon another ap-
propriation bill of which I had charge. In the
struggle to fasten it upon this bill there was a
lengthy debate, in which its merits and demerits
were fully discussed. In that debate I bore my full
share in opposing the amendment Before it was
finally adopted there were eighteen different votes
taken in the House and the Committee of the Whole
on its merits and its management. On each and all
of these I voted adversely to the amendment. Six
years ago, when the salaries of Congressmen were
raised and the pay was made to date back sixteen
months, I had voted against the increase ; and now,
bearing more responsibility for the appropriations
than ever before, I pursued the same course. No
act of mine during this struggle can be tortured into
a willingness to allow this amendment to be fastened
to the bill. But all opposition was overborne by
majorities ranging from three to fifty-three, and the
bill with this amendment added was sent to the Sen-
ate Saturday evening, the ist of March. If the Sen-
ate had struck out the amendment, they could have
compelled the House to abandon it or take the re-
sponsibility of losing the bill. But the Senate re-
fused, by a vote of nearly two to one, to strike out
the salary clause or any part of it ; and many Sena-
tors insisted that with the abolition of mileage and
other allowances $6,500 was no real increase, and
that the rate should be greater. The bill then went
to a conference committee with sixty-live unadjusted
amendments pending between the two Houses.

The battle against the salary clause was fought
and lost before the appropriation bill went to the

310 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

conference committee. The Speaker of the House
and the President of the Senate both recognized the
fact in appointing their respective committees of
conference. In announcing the committee of con-
ference on the part of the House, the Speaker said :

" There are several points of difference between the two Houses of
exceeding importance. It is the duty of the Chair to adjust the con-
ference so as to represent those points upon which the House most
earnestly insists. The three points of difference especially involved
are the subject of salaries of members and other officers, what is
styled the Morrill amendment, and the provision in regard to the Pa-
cific railroad. The Chair thinks that so far as he can analyze the
votes of the House on these propositions, that the following conferee*
will fairly represent the views of the House on the various questions
Mr. Garfield of Ohio, Mr. Butler of Massachusetts, and Mr.
Randall of Pennsylvania."

I was appointed chairman because I had charge
of the bill. Messrs. Butler and Randall were ap-
pointed because they represented the declared will
of the House on the salary question. They were
not members of the Committee on Appropria-
tions, and were not familiar with the other provis-
ions of the bill. The salary clause was the first
of the sixty-five amendments referred to the com-
mittee, and six full hours were spent in consider-
ing it. Notwithstanding the fact that the battle
against the salary clause was already lost, I made
the best effort I could to retrieve it in the conference
committee. I faithfully presented the considerations
urged against it by the minority in the House, and
moved to strike out the clause relating to congres-
sional salaries. The Senate conferees were unani-
mous against the motion, and my two associates
agreed with them. I moved to strike out the retro-
active feature, and the vote stood as before. By the
same majority the amount was fixed at $7,500.
There was no longer any doubt that the salary

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 311

clause must stand or fall with the bill. It was clear
that a majority of the committee represented the
judgment of the two Houses.

In this situation there were but two courses be-
fore me : one was to refuse to act with the confer-
ence committee, abandon the bill to Mr. Butler, the
next on the conference, and go into the House and
oppose its final passage ; the other was to stand by
the bill, make it as perfect as possible, limit and re-
duce the amount of the appropriation as much as
could be done, and report it to the House for pas-
sage.

In a word, I was called upon to decide this ques-
tion : Is the salary amendment so impolitic, so un-
wise, so intolerable, that in order to prevent its be-
coming a law the whole bill ought to be defeated ?
If so, it was the duty of both the Senate and the
House to defeat it ; and if they passed it, it was the
duty of the President to veto it. Upon the decision
I then made, and the reasons for and against it, I
invoke the judgment of my constituents ; for there,
if anywhere in the course of this legislation, I for-
feited my claim to their confidence.

If the enactment of this amendment into a law
was itself a crime, then any bill, however important
it might be, to which it was attached, ought to be
defeated. No public emergency can justify theft or
robbery. But bad as this amendment was in some
of its provisions, it is an abuse of language and of
truth to call it either theft or robbery. On the con-
trary, many of the items of increase were acknowl-
edged to be just, even by those who opposed the
amendment most earnestly. It was clearly within
the constitutional power of Congress to pass that
clause. The Constitution makes it their duty to fix
the salary of all officers of the Government, includ-
ing their own.

312 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

The retroactive pay provided for in this amend-
ment, unwise, indelicate, and indefensible as I be-
lieve it to have been, was in accordance with all the
precedents, for every increase of pay of members of
Congress since the adoption of the Constitution has
applied to the whole term of the Congress that au-
thorized it. It was not a crime, and we have no
right to say that those who advocated it were thieves
and robbers. I opposed the whole scheme of in-
crease of salaries chiefly on two grounds:

First. That officers at the national Capital were
already receiving higher rates of pay than many of
those serving at a distance ; and that if we began
to increase salaries at the Capital, and particularly
our own, it would be indecent and unjust not to go
through the whole list and make the increase gener-
al. To do this would greatly increase the expendi-
tures already overgrown by the results of the war ;
and,

Second. I opposed it because I thought it pecul-
iarly impolitic for the Forty-Second Congress to give
any new cause for bringing itself into public odium.
Much had already occurred to throw discredit upon
it, and this would add a new shade to the colors in
which it was being painted.

On the other hand, there were grave objections to
the defeat of the appropriation bill. Everybody
knew that its failure would render an extra session
of the new Congress inevitable. It is easy to say
now that this would have been better than to allow
the passage of the salary clause. Present evils al-
ways seem greater than those that never come. The
opinion was almost universal that an extra session
would be a serious evil in many ways, and especially
to the Treasury. Its cost, directly and indirectly,
would far exceed the amount appropriated for retro-
active salaries. An unusual amount of dangerous

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 3X3

legislation was pressing upon Congress for action.
A measure to refund the cotton tax, which would
take seventy millions from the Treasury, was pressed
by a powerful organization in and out of Congress,
and its consideration had only been prevented by in-
terposing the appropriation bills. , A vast number
of doubtful claims growing out of the war were ready
to follow in the wake of the cotton tax. To organize
a new Congress, which would require the appoint
ment and organization of new committees, and to
begin this bill anew, perfect its details, and pass it,
would require many weeks. In the meantime the
field would be clear for pushing all schemes against
the Treasury.

But more than this, the defeat of the bill would
carry with it the defeat of the only legislation by
which Congress has attempted for many years to
check the career of those greedy corporations whose
powers have become so dangerous to the public wel-
fare. For the first time Congress was thoroughly
aroused to the danger ; and the sections concerning
the Pacific railroad, which had been added to this
bill, empowered and directed the executive, through
the courts, to strike an effective blow against those
who had already robbed the Pacific railroad at the
expense of the National Treasury. If these sections
failed, it was by no means ce/tain that the new Con-
gress would pass them ; and if it did, the interests of
the Government would greatly suffer by the delay.

Only a single day and night remained before the
final adjournment, and three other great appropri-
ation bills were still unfinished.

These considerations were inseparably connected
with the defeat of this appropriation bill. I knew
that if it failed from any act of mine, the responsi-
bility for its failure would rest more heavily on me
than upon any other member. I had been made

314 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

responsible for its management, but was in no way
responsible for the adoption of the salary amend-
ment.

After weighing the case as well as I could, I con-
cluded it was my duty to stand by the bill ; and I
did so.

I remained in the conference, and did what I
could to perfect the bill and reduce the amount ap-
propriated by it. On my motion the following pro-
viso was made a part of the bill : " Provided, That in
settling the pay and allowances of members oi the
Forty-Second Congress, all mileage shall be de-
ducted, and no allowances shall be made for expenses
of travel." The sum deducted from the additional
back pay, under this proviso, amounted in the aggre-
gate to nearly $400,000 ; and the pay to the mem-
bers of the late Congress is made less than those of
the next Congress by the total amount of actual
traveling expenses.

The other sixty-four amendments to the bill were
satisfactorily adjusted, after many hours of delibera-
tion. Having done what I could to perfect the bill,
I signed the conference report and presented it to
the House ; but in doing so I stated that I alone
had opposed the salary clause in the conference com-
mittee, and had done what I could to strike it out,
and that I had signed the report rather than run the
risk of losing the bill. I then voted for the bill, not
for the increase of salaries nor for the retroactive
clause, for I was opposed to both, but for the bill as
a whole.

It is clear that it would have passed if I had voted
against it. But believing that it was better to pass
the bill, even with the salary amendment included,
than risk the consequences of its failure, I voted for
it. It would have been an inconsistent and cowardly
act on my part to vote against it merely to escape
criticism.

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 3X5

If the bill, as reported from the conference com-
mittee, ought to have been defeated, there was one
well-known and very easy way to do it. One-fifth of
the members present, by dilatory and filibustering
motions and calling the ayes and noes, could have
prevented a vote on the report till the end of the
session. Should the ninety-six members who voted
against the conference report be censured for not
preventing its adoption? Less than half of their
number could easily have done so. But no one of
them, so far as I know, thought it his duty to defeat
the bill. Certainly I did not think it the duty of the
chairman of the Committee on Appropriations to
lead such a movement.

It has been said that the conference report might
have been recommitted for a further attempt to
strike off the salary clause. The answer to this is,
that the House, on an aye and no vote, by nineteen
majority, ordered the question to be put on the
adoption of the report.

The plain fact is, that the final vote on the bill
was not a test of the sentiments of members of the
House on the salary question. The responsibility
for the increase of salaries rests upon those who
forced the amendment upon the bill.

There is one feature of the case to which I refer
with great reluctance, and with a deep sense of the
injustice that is done me. It is charged that I voted
for the bill for the purpose of putting $5,000 of back
pay into my own pocket. I fearlessly appeal to
friends and enemies alike to say whether any act of
my public life has warranted them in imputing to
me unworthy and mercenary motives. The point
here raised is one to which I did not intend to refer
in this letter. I preferred to leave my personal
motives to the future for vindication. But already,
without my knowledge or procurement, a paragraph

$\6 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

has found its way to the press which makes it proper
for me to say what I did not wish paraded in public,
that I not only did not receive the back pay nor any
part of it, but I ordered it so covered into the gen-
eral Treasury as to be placed beyond the reach of
myself or my heirs.

I have thus stated the facts in the case, that you
may know precisely what I did, and the reasons for
it. I desire that this and every other act of my pub-
lic life shall be fully known to you. Ten years ago
you called me from another field of duty and honor
to represent you in the national Legislature.' Since
then you have expressed your confidence and esteem
in many ways, and in none more strikingly than in
the five re-elections with which you have honored
me.

I have not been insensible to these evidences of
your approval. I have conscientiously sought to
serve you and the country with the best of my
ability. I have spared neither time nor labor faith-
fully to discharge the duties of the place assigned
me.

Doubtless I have made my full share of mistakes
and blunders, and my vote on this bill may have
added another to the list. I respect no man the less
for thinking so, but in this as in all my official con-
duct I acted for what I regarded the public good.
Whether wise or unwise, defensible or indefensible,
that vote had the approval of my judgment, and I do
not shrink from any responsibility growing out of it.

But I do not affect to conceal my surprise and dis-
appointment at the construction which has been
given to that vote. Probably no man who, conscious
of his own integrity, has served a constituency as
long as I have served you could see the basest of
motives attributed to him and listen to a public
demand for his instant resignation with indifference.

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 317

Certainly I cannot Were I to follow my own incli-
nations merely, I would at once abandon a position so
difficult to fill acceptably, and which the assaults of
calumny have- rendered on so many accounts unde-
sirable. But the charge on which the demand of
the Warren convention is based is an injustice to
which I cannot consent. The principle on which it
is made rises above any merely personal considera-
tion. If I ought to resign for casting this vote,
every elective officer should resign whenever any of
his official acts, done in good faith, are strongly dis-
approved by those who elected him. If the delegates
believe that the retroactive clause is so infamous that
I ought to resign for voting for the appropriation
bill to which it was attached, will they follow out
their logic and insist that the President ought to
resign for signing it ? My vote did not make it a
law. His signature did. I do not consent to the
logic that leads to such a conclusion.

The facts are before you. I am ready anywhere

and at any time to make good the statements herein

set forth, and upon the facts I appeal from the action

of the convention to your more deliberate judgment.

Very respectfully,

JAMES A. GARFIELD.

Immediately upon receiving the check for the in-
crease of his salary, General Garfield sent it to the
United States treasurer, and it was covered into the
treasury.

3l8 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

CHAPTER XVIII.

LABORS IN CONGRESS.

APPOINTMENT ON COMMITTEES. — VAKIETT OF WOMC. — HIS LEADE»-
SHIP. — LIST OP SPEECHES. — THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION. — A
SPEECH IN WALL STREET. — VIEWS OK FINANCES. — RESUMPTION
OP SPECIE PAYMENTS.

General Garfield's labors in Congress were of
the most varied and arduous character. It seems
incredible that one man could make so many speech-
es, write out so many bills, attend so many commit-
tee hearings, and appear so punctually in his seat as
he has done. He carried the affairs of the Military
committee as its practical head, until the chairman-
ship of the Ways and Means committee, which was
given him, took him into a wider field. For many
years he was the leader of the House in matters re-
quiring hard work ; and after the election of Mr.
Blaine to the Senate, he was regarded by the Repub-
lican party as their leader and oracle, in all their
debates and controversies with the other party. He
studied, wrote and spoke about a vast variety of topics,
concerning widely different themes, and, as all admit,
with ability and good judgment He delivered ad-
dresses in the House, which have often been quoted
with respect by eminent scholars, upon public lands,

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 319

river navigation, contagious diseases, revenue, cur-
rency, duties, specie payments, Arctic explorations,
science, schools, manufactories, commerce, agricul-"'
ture, appropriations, law trials, Chinese immigration,
diplomatic affairs, war claims, fisheries, polygamy,
pensions, constitutional amendments, banks, slavery,
treaties with foreign nations, trade with Canada, elec-
toral count, reconstruction, State rights, and hundreds
more ; and, all the while, was assiduously at work as
a member of the most important committees. His
eminent legal knowledge pointed him out at once as
the proper statesman for the examination of the
Louisiana trouble, for drafting constitutional amend-
ments and impeachment reports, and for a place on
that most august of all our national tribunals, the
electoral commission, for adjusting the contested
election case between R. B. Hayes and Samuel J.
Tilden, the claimants for the presidential chair.

His study, at odd moments, of questions of science
and education, made him a prominent member of the
Board of regents of the Smithsonian Institute, and
his love of literature secured the honorary member-
ship in many of the leading literary societies in this
country, and of the " Cobden Club," in London, on
motion of John Bright

During those years of restless activity, he wrote
articles for magazines, and the many addresses which
he delivered, at schools, colleges, celebrations, anni-
versaries and political meetings. Among his speech-
es, none seems to have given him greater celebrity,
than the short exclamation which he made to the

320 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

crowd in Wall street, on the evening after the assas-
sination of President Lincoln. The accounts in the
public press gave it as follows :

An enormous crowd had gathered at the Wall
street Exchange. The wrath of the workingmen
was simply uncontrollable, and revolvers and knives
were in the hands of thousands of Lincoln's friends,
ready to avenge the death of the martyred president,
without being careful to consider who deserved pen-
alty. Speeches from Butler and Dickinson had done
nothing to appease the gathering wrath of the mob.
Two men had been beaten — one lay dead, the other
dangerously wounded — for declaring that Lincoln
ought to. have been hung long ago. Some had made
a rude gallows out of scantling, with a looped halter
hanging from it.' Suddenly some one raised a shout,
"The World ! the World fthe office of the World ! "
It was the signal for a surging movement which a
moment later would have been a terrible march. Just
then a man stepped forward, with a small flag in his
hand, and beckoned to the crowd. Another tele-
gram from Washington ! And then, in the awful
stillness of the crisis, taking advantage of the hesi-
tation of the crowd, a right arm was lifted skyward,
and a voice clear and steady, loud and distinct, spoke
out : " Fellow citizens 1 Clouds and darkness are
round about Him ! His pavilion is dark waters and
thick clouds of the skies ! Justice and judgment are
the establishment of his throne ! Mercy and truth
shall go before his face ! Fellow citizens ! God
reigns, and the government at Washington still
lives I " The effect was tremendous. The crowd
stood riveted to the ground in awe, gazing at the
motionless orator, and thinking of God and the
security of the government in that hour. As the
boiling wave subsides and settles to the sea, when

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 321

some strong wind beats it down, so the tumult of
the people sank and became still. All took it as a
divine omen. It was a triumph of eloquence, in-
spired by the moment, such as falls to but one man's
lot, and that but once in a century.

His political speeches were made the texts of his
party, and his services were eagerly sought for in
every doubtful State. His published speeches are
well worth preserving, and of being read again and
again. Some of his addresses, including as large a
variety as possible, in order to show the versatility
of his talents, are included in this volume.

During his first session he declared his views upon
the finances of the nation ; and, as the consistency
of his career on matters of finance may be of inter-
est to all who study his life, extracts from two of his
speeches are given here together. The first is a brief
statement of his views in 1 866 ; the second is a more
elaborate discussion, made in Chicago in 1879. The
remarks in Congress in 1866, were as follows :

Mr. Speaker, there is no leading financier, no
leading statesman now living, or one who has lived
within the last half century, in whose opinion the
gentleman can find any support. They all declare,
as the Secretary of the treasury declares, that the
only honest basis of value is a currency, redeemable
-in specie, at the will of the holder. I am an advocate
of paper money, but that paper money must repre-
sent what it professes on its face. I do not wish to
hold in my hands the printed lies of the government
I want its promises to pay, signed by the high offi-
cers of the government, sacredly kept in the exact
meaning of the words of the promise.
21

322 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

Let us not continue this conjurer's art, by which
sixty cents shall discharge a debt of one hundred
cents. I do not want industry, everywhere, to be
thus crippled and wounded, and its wounds plastered
over with legally authorized lies.

An Extract from General Garfield's speech upon
the suspension and resumption of Specie Payments,
before the Honest Money League of Chicago, January
2, 1879, was printed as follows :

Successful Resumption will greatly aid in bringing
into the murky sky of our politics, what the signal
service people call " clearing weather." It puts an
end to a score of controversies which have long vexed
the public mind, and wrought mischief to business.
It ends the angry contention over the difference
between the money of the bond-holder and the money
of the plow-holder. It relieves enterprising Congress-
men of the necessity of introducing twenty-five or
thirty bills a session to furnish the people with cheap
money, to prevent gold-gambling, and to make cus-
tom duties payable in greenbacks. It will dismiss to
the limbo of things forgotten, such Utopian schemes
as a currency based upon the magic circle of intercon-
vertibility of two different forms of irredeemable paper,
and the schemes of a currency, " based on the public
faith," and secured by " all the resources of the na-
tion," in general, but upon no particular part of them.
We shall still hear echoes of the old conflict, such as
" the barbarism and cowardice of gold and silver,"
and the virtues of " fiat money ; " but the theories
which gave them birth will linger among us like
belated ghosts, and soon find rest in the political
grave of dead issues. All these will take their places
in history alongside of the resolution of Varsittart,
in 181 1, that " British paper had not fallen, but gold

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 323

had risen in value, and the declaration of Castlereagh,
in the House of Commons, that " the money standard
is a sense of value in reference to currency as com-
pared with commodities," and the opinion of another
member, who declared that the standard is neither
gold nor silver, but something set up in the imagina-
tion to be regulated by public opinion."

When we have fully awakened from these vague
dreams, public opinion will resume its old channels,
and the wisdom and experience of the fathers of our
constitution will again be acknowledged and followed.

We shall agree, as our fathers did, that the yard-
stick shall have length, the pound must have weight
and the dollar must have value in itself, and that
neither length, nor weight, nor value can be created
by the fiat of law. Congress, relieved of the arduous
task of regulating and managing all the business of
our people, will address itself to the humbler but
more important work of preserving the public peace,
and managing wisely the revenues and expenditures
of the government. Industry will no longer wait for
the legislature to discover easy roads to sudden
wealth, but will begin again to rely upon labor and
frugality, as the only certain road to riches. Prosperi-
ty, which has long been waiting, is now ready to
come. If we do not rudely repulse her, she will soon
revisit our people, and will stay until another period-
ical craze shall drive her away.

324 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

CHAPTER XIX.

SHN&TQB AND CANDIDATE: FOE THE PRESIDENCY. — ACTION OF HIS OLD
NEIGHBORS. — ELECTION TO THE UNITED STATES SENATE BT THE OHIO
LEGISLATURE. — HIS SPEECH. — VIEWS OF HIS FAMILY. — THEIR NEW
HOUSE AT MENTOR. — THE CHICAGO CONVENTION. — STRANGE PROPH-
ECIES. — THE GREAT PARTISAN CONFLICT. — HIS NOMINATION ON THE
THIRTY-SIXTH BALLOT. — THE SLANDEROUS CAMPAIGN. — GENERAL
GARFIELD'S BEHAVIOR. — TRIUMPHANT ELECTION.

While General Garfield was contending with va-
rying success in the Congressional arena, and expe-
riencing all the daily fluctuations of public opinion
with regard to his honesty, wisdom, and strength,
the admiration for him in his own State steadily
increased, and the love of his old neighbois and
friends abated not in the least. His political oppo-
nents of every shade in Ohio acknowledged his power
and genius, if they did not admit the honesty or
wisdom of his political principles. So great was his
prominence in Ohio as a statesman, in 1880, that
when the vacancy in the senatorial delegation from
that State occurred he was looked upon by all par-
ties as the only man who was sure of the seat in case
he desired to occupy it.

January 13, 1880, the Ohio Legislature elected
him to the United States Senate. It was, however,

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 325

one of those political movements which every one
felt was to be, and created no unusual excitement
for that reason. The kindly relations which existed
between him and his political opponents cannot be
better shown than by a quotation from his speech of
January 14, 1880, thanking the Ohio Legislature for
his election. In that he said : —

I recognize the importance of the place to which
you have elected me ; and I should be base if I did
not also recognize the great man whom you have
elected me to succeed. I say for him, that Ohio
has had few larger-minded, broader-minded men in
the records of our history than Allen G. Thur-
man. Differing widely from him as I have done
in politics, and do, I recognize him as a man high in
character and great in intellect ; and I take this oc-
casion to refer to what I have never before referred
to in public, that many years ago, in the storm of
party fighting, when the air was filled with all sorts of
missiles aimed at the character and reputation of pub-
lic men, when it was even for his party interest to
join the general clamor against me and my associ-
ates, Senator Thurman said in public, in the cam-
paign, on the stump — when men are as likely to
say unkind things as at any place in the world — a
most generous and earnest word of defense and kind-
ness for me, which I shall never forget as long as I
live. I say, moreover, that the flowers that bloom
over the garden wall of party politics are the sweet-
est and most fragrant that bloom in the gardens of
this world ; and where we can early pluck them and
enjoy their fragrance, it is manly and delight ml to
do so.

But his promotion to the Senate, as honorable and

326 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

as desirable a thing as it seemed to be to many peo-
ple, was regarded by his family in the same light in
which they had seen his previous elections and com-
missions. It was after all a sacrifice. The quiet of
home, which his dear old mother and modest wife so
much loved, would be again further invaded, and the
time of rest and domestic quiet so much desired was
placed six years ahead. They had been enabled,
partly by the help of friends, to purchase a small
farm in Mentor, on the Lake Shore Railroad, but a
short ride by railway from Cleveland. It was in a
very retired spot and surrounded by small farms. It
was rural and secluded. The post-office was half a
mile away in a country store,' and the railroad sta-
tion still farther from his farm, and was reached by
a rough country road, as circuitous as it was prim-
itive.

It was a locality that seems to have pleased them
all, and there, in 1880, the old buildings were replaced
by a plain, substantial cottage, contrasting strangely
with the piles of graven stone and mansions of brick
and wood at Washington. The family occupied the
house as soon as it was covered, and lived happily
and busily amid the shavings of carpenters, the odor
of new paint, and the clangor of hammers. The
writer happened to visit them soon after they moved
into the new hduse, and found the General's writing
table in the front hall, surrounded by boxes, furni-
ture, papers, letters, books, children, and callers.
Yet how happy they all seemed ! How changed that

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 327

home to-day, in the absence of only one of those
who made that happy, bustling family !

It was while General Garfield was engaged in over-
seeing the repair of the fences, the plowing of the
fields, and the work upon his humble dwelling that
he was chosen a delegate to the Republican Conven-
tion of 1880, which afterwards met in Chicago. As
a public man well known in all parts of the country,
and one who would be certain to have great influence
in that political assembly, he was very strongly
importuned by the friends of the prominent candi-
dates for nomination. Hon. James G. Blaine and
Gen. U. S. Grant were the leading aspirants, and Gen-
eral Garfield was pressed by the friends of each, in
correspondence and personal interviews, to support
them. But he was wise enough to see that the very
zeal which the canvassers displayed must defeat them
both or defeat the party. He also felt that the only
great question then before the country was connected
with the management of the finances of the nation,
and thought it due to the successful Secretary of the
Treasury, Hon. John Sherman, of Ohio, that he should
be made President Hence he threw his whole in-
fluence and active support in favor of Mr. Sherman.

When the great convention met at Chicago, and an
almost unexampled warfare was opened between the
factions we have mentioned, General Garfield came
before the great assembly boldly and cheerfully, — al-
though he knew he was counted with a very small
minority, — and while the contention over Mr. Blaine

328 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

and General Grant was silenced for a few minutes,
made the following speech, and nominated Mr. Sher-
man : —

Mr. President: — I have witnessed the extraordi-
nary scenes of this convention with deep solicitude.
No emotion touches my heart more quickly than sen-
timent in honor of a great and noble character ; but
as I sat on these seats and witnessed these demon-
strations, it seemed to me that you were a human
ocean in a tempest. I have seen the sea lashed
into fury and tossed into spray, and its grandeur
moves the soul of the dullest man. But I remember
that it is not the billows, but the calm level of the
sea, from which all heights and depths are measured ;
when the storm has passed, and the hour of calm
settles on the ocean, when the sunlight bathes its
smooth surface, then the astronomer and surveyor
take the level from which they measure all terres-
trial heights and depths.

Gentlemen of the convention, your present temper
may not mark the healthful pulse of our people.
When our enthusiasm has passed, when the emo-
tions of this hour have subsided, we shall feel that
calm level of public opinion below the storm from
which the thoughts of a mighty people must be meas-
ured, and by which their final action will be deter-
mined.

Not here in this brilliant circle, where 15,000 men
and women are assembled, is the destiny of the Re-
publican party to be decreed. Not here, where I
see the enthusiastic faces of 756 delegates, waiting
to cast their votes into the urn, and determine the
choice of the republic ; but by 4,000,000 Republican
firesides, where the thoughtful voters, with wives and
children about them, with the calm thoughts inspired
by love of home and love of country, with the his-

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 329

tory of the past, the hopes of the future, and the
knowledge of the great men who have adorned and
blessed our nation in days gone by. There God
prepares the verdict that shall determine the wisdom
of our work to-night. Not in Chicago, in the heats
of June, but in the sober quiet that comes to them
between now and November, in the silence of delib-
erate judgment, will this great question be settled.

At the close of his speech an enthusiastic delegate
from one of the Southern States shouted, " Why
don't you take the nomination yourself ? "

Soon after, in the fury of the political whirlwind,
the question was raised whether a delegate from
Virginia should be permitted to act in the conven-
tion, who openly declared that he should not considei
himself bound by its action if it did not nominate
the man he desired to support. It created a noisy,
angry debate, and many feared a dissolution of the
convention in an angry riot, when General Garfield
appeared before them. He seemed to be the only
man who could pour oil on the foaming waves. Most
successfully and manfully he did it. He took the
side of the minority, and in five minutes it was the
side of the great majority. That brave, kind act,
and those noble words declaring that every man's
conscience was in his own keeping and ought to be
respected, had such an effect on the delegates of
the convention that, while they became calm and
decorous, they also felt that some time- in the future
they would like the privilege of voting for him as
their candidate for the presidency.

330 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

After the temporary adjournment of the conven-
tion for dinner on the second day, and while the del-
egates were returning to the hall, a tract distributer
of the Chicago Young Men's Christian Association
passed to each, as they entered, a slip of paper, on
which was printed a verse of the Bible. The one he
gave to General Garfield, and which the General
pinned inside of his straw hat, and soon after showed
to the writer of this book, contained verses eleven
and twelve in the fourth chapter of Acts, — in a most
prophetic manner saying : " This is the stone which
was set at nought of you builders, which is become
the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in
any other."

General Garfield had not then the remotest idea
that the convention would select him as its candi-
date ; for the delegates did not seriously turn to him
until the thirty-fifth ballot. With his whole mind
intent upon preserving the harmony of the conven-
tion through the hours and days of its probable ses-
sion, he simply saved the printed slip as a matter of
respect for the Bible and the self-sacrificing tract-
distributer. He did not notice it again until after
the close of the ten days' session, and after his name
had been shouted with the wildest enthusiasm by
the great throng at the convention, and was posted
in every city and town of the nation where the tele-
graphic wires extended.

Then how quickly on the lips of the masses of his
political party, and on many of the pages of the par-

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 331

tisan press which supported him, were heard, for the
first time, the words, "Great," "Hero," "Statesman,"
" Scholar " ! Then, too, how suddenly the political
opponents of his party discovered that he had always
been, in their estimation, a " Coward," " Bribe-taker,"
"Charlatan," "Lobbyist," and "Renegade Preacher" !

It is as interesting as it is sweet to find that this
sudden and great promotion did not come to his fam-
ily as a matter very much to be desired. Mrs. Gar-
field, with an indescribable tenderness and modesty,
declared that it came to her like a calamity. She
did not prefer the life in Washington, and dreaded
both for him and for herself the cares and perplexi-
ties of the White House. The children loved the
farm best, and the little barefooted son, up in a cherry-
tree, declared to a questioner that they did not have
" such fruit nor such trees in Washington."

At the opening of the political campaign there was
a feeling in the country that the Republican candi-
dates could not be elected, owing to the local suc-
cesses of the Democratic party, indicating an increase
of strength, and owing also to the bitter divisions in
the Republican party among the friends of disap-
pointed candidates.

About a week after the nomination, the writer told
General Garfield that there appeared to be but little
hope of success. But he was as confident as if he
already knew the result, and significantly pointed
• upward, saying, " There is a God." Shortly after he
handed the writer a letter from his secretary at his

332 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

residence in Washington, who wrote that on the day
of the nomination at Chicago, and at the time the
last vote was being taken, a great American eagle
hovered over the city, and at last alighted on the roof
of General Garfield's house. Jt was a singular inci-
dent, and the significant look which General Garfield
gave as he passed the letter was most inspiring and
impressive.

His speeches during the trying interval between
his nomination and election were models of modesty
and statesmanship. He possessed a character which
would bear study. He was a man of whom the more
was known the greater would be the respect for his
ability and intentions. The Republican cause thrived
through the great impulse which General Garfield's
domestic and public life and self-sacrificing spirit
gave to the canvass.

It was a bitter thing, however, to his affectionate
wife and faithful relatives to see again and again re-
vived the most slanderous statements concerning his
life. Stories that were conceived in the purest mal-*
ice, and enlarged upon by the campaign orators and
writers, would not die with repeated killing. It is
probable, however, that his candidacy, like every other
good cause, prospered by persecution. The more
hateful the slanders, the more active were his friends.
The more untruthful the statements of the press, the
more numerous his adherents. It was a period when
General Garfield was compelled to stand silently and
immovably before all detractors, enemies, and scandal

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 333

mongers, and receive without retaliation all the poi-
sonous darts they incessantly hurled at him. No
event of his life was so much used and abused as his
acquaintance and business transactions with Hon.
Oakes Ames during the great " Credit Mobilier " ex-
citement mentioned in the previous pages. Now
that both men are seen through the funereal halo
which their deaths have placed about their memo-
rials, we only look and wonder that to either of those
honorable men such a martyrdom could come, among
an intelligent, civilized, and Christian people. The
lesson it teaches is very important, but seldom made
practical : that is, that we should so regard and so
treat the living men that when they are gone we
shall not regret it. It is silly, unmanly, unchristian,
to vilify a man while he lives, and then exalt his
name as a saint or an angel when he is dead, — both
positions being false and despicable.

General Garfield was a man, — a generous, frank,
sympathetic man, of strong intellectual power, and
clear, conscientious convictions. He was human.
He had faults. He made mistakes. He sometimes
advocated measures which time shows to have been
unwise. Measured by the great deeds of heroes,
statesmen, and martyrs of the past, he had not the
opportunity to be so heroic or so illustrious. He
was a model American citizen ; and of such we have
many thousands more. Let not another great and
good man die in America unappreciated. It is cruel
and foolish to reserve our support and praise until

334 THlf- LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

after the statesman or patriot is dead. One lesson
which the study of this life teaches is but the revival
of the Chinese philosopher's exhortation : "Be spar-
ing of your curses while the man lives. Be sparing
of extravagant laudations after he is dead." To
which may be added this observation : that slander,
persecution, and the spirit of assassination before
the deat h, and hero worship after the death, are both
relics of an uncivilized or unchristian age.

The first Tuesday in November, after the nomina-
tion of General Garfield, was the Constitutional day
of election. But the tide of public opinion had set
so much in favor of General Garfield that the people
felt that his election was a certainty. General W.
S. Hancock, a distinguished officer in the United
States Army, was the candidate of the Democratic
party ; and having a thrilling record as a soldier, and
an excellent reputation as a gentleman, drew upper-
most the best elements, and called forth the full
strength, of his party. But when the sunset gun was
fired on that exciting day of the contest General
Garfield's political victory was undoubted and com-
plete. He was sure of two hundred and fourteen
electora votes, while General Hancock had but one
hundred and fifty-five.

OP GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 335

CHAPTER XX

INAUGURATION.

kb*Alun* BT OFFICE-SEEKERS. — THE RESPONSIBILITIES AND AWNOT-
1.SCE3 OF A PRESIDENT. — METHODS OF 8ECURIXG A HEARING. —
ttBNEBAL GAEFIELDS SELF-SACRIFICE. — HIS HOME LIFE BROKEN CP.
— CERKSUKIXS OF INAUGURATION. — DIFFICULTIES IN SELECTION OF
OOCNSELuoe. — THE CABINET.

Every blessing has its accompanying evil, of
greater or less magnitude, and an election to the
high position of President of the United States is far
from being an exception. When the trials, annoy-
ances, temptations, and dangers are carefully weighed
it is a strange thing that great men should desire it.
To perform all the duties faithfully and ably, the
President is compelled to forsake his family, his so-
cial and religious privileges, his books, his friends,
and his rest, and constantly grapple with the evils
which ceaselessly assail both himself and the nation.
The greatest of all these evils is connected with the
change or recommissioning of all the officers of the
nation at each inauguration.

From an early hour on the morning after his elec-
tion until his death at Elberon, his time was taken,
his footsteps dogged, or his sick-bed disturbed with

336 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

the ceaselessly importuning office seekers. Such a
state of affairs is a great disgrace to our nation, and
one which General Garfield was determined to rem-
edy if possible.

The behavior of many aspirants for official position
was but little less than that of the assassin himself.
They invaded his private house in swarms. They
stopped his carriage in the street ; they called him
out of bed ; they bored him in the railroad carriages
and stations ; they wrote to his wife and his sons ;
they courted, fawningly, all his old neighbors and rel-
atives. They covered him with flattery more con-
temptible than slander ; they filled his office with
piles of letters it was impossible for him to read or
answer ; they sent him tempting presents (?) ; they
wrote most silly laudations of his life, and published
them, to his great disgust ; and teasing, coaxing,
threatening, they made anxious and unhappy nearly
every hour of his life after his election. More than
six hundred applications were made for one office be-
fore he had the right to make the appointment. He
could give it to but one, and thus innocently made
more than six hundred bitter enemies.

Men who had supported him in the election, or
who urged his name at Chicago, demanded the right
to place their friends in office. He could not please
them all. He said so ; and some of his life-long
friends, not appreciating his great responsibilities
and difficulties, accused him in unmeasured terms of
gross ingratitude. The outcry of the people against

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 337

the practice which Charles Sumner called " nepo-
tism" compelled General Garfield, as a servant of the
people, to refuse an appointment to personal friends
or relatives in many cases where such a disposition
of the office would otherwise have been acceptable.
The fact that he had the power to appoint his friends
was the very fact which hindered him in granting
their requests. He frankly told them so when they
applied to him, and looks of scorn, hatred, and con-
tempt came to him from faces which had till then
smiled continuously on him thrgugh a life-time.

As Mrs. Garfield had predicted, their home life
was gone. No more domestic quiet; no more social
family gatherings ; no more rest Naught came to
them but pressing cares and almost disheartening
responsibilities. Even the little boys felt the wear
of ceaseless visiting, and sought an asylum away in
the barn or at a neighbor's house. Nothing they
possessed was longer their own. They and theirs
were treated as public property, and the ceaseless
vigils of the public press told to the whole world
their slightest movements, even to an extended ac-
count of the youngest boy's truancy at school, and of
the daughter's different dresses. There was no es-
cape from the public gaze, and the unexpected dis-
closure in the papers of each minor event made the
press seem omnipotent The lens which showed
them thus was also one that burned at its focus.

He that gives himself to his nation must be pre-
pared for any and every sacrifice. To make it cheer-
22

33^ THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

fully is one element of greatness. That, it can safely
be said, General Garfield did. Abandoning all hope
of personal rest or pleasure, he gave himself wholly
and cheerfully to the nation. Through all the
months preceding his inauguration he planned, dis-
cussed, and studied how to remedy the evil of par-
tisan appointments in the civil service. It was al-
most the only great evil which threatened or endan-
gered the republic. His attempt was sincere, honest,
and determined. The people saw it and appreciated
it ; and when the time of inauguration came, March
4, 1 88 1, they showed their increasing respect by one
of the most magnificent ceremonial displays which
the nation ever witnessed. With vast throngs of en-
thusiastic visitors, with long lines of military organ-
izations in their gay trappings, with miles of bunting
and clouds of flags and streamers, with trumpets,
drums, bands, and singing, with feasts, collations,
speeches, and a grand ball, with huzzahs, congratula-
tions, and all kinds of demonstrations of joy, the
people hailed him as their chief magistrate. It was
the more remarkable because the administration of
General Hayes had been very "successful and peace
f ul, — successful because it was peaceful, and peace-
iul because it was successful. The demonstration
was also surprising inasmuch as no great reforms
beyond those of the civil service were expected or
demanded by the people. It was a spontaneous
demonstration of respect and love, which grew out
of their personal regard for the persona1 character of

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 339

the President, rather than a demonstration connected
with any national issue. All parties united to do
him honor, and General Hancock, the defeated can-
didate of the Democratic party, accepted promptly
an invitation to participate in the popular ceremo-
nies of the day.

But even so important an occasion as that of his
installation to the headship of one of the mightiest
nations of earth was not without impertinent intru-
sions by greedy office seekers.

What a grand scene was that in the Senate Cham-
ber, in the great rotunda, and on the porch of the
Capitol, when General Garfield took the oath of office
and delivered his inaugural address ! He was calm
and firm in all his movements before the assembled
thousands, and his voice was clear and strong as he
read his recommendations concerning a better civil
service. How little did he know that he must give
his life for those principles before the people could
be made to realize the situation !

If in the short intervals in the work and talk of
that great day he had time for reflection, how like a
dream to him must have been the log cabin of boy-
hood, the piles of wood he had chopped, the rough
work of the farm, and the rude accommodations at
school ; his praying mother, his devoted sisters, his
affectionate cousins, his old schoolmates separated
from him by an official distance unmeasurable, must
have come to his mind in that hour with a strange
impression. He was still a son, a husband a father,

340 THE LBFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

a brother, a friend, a citizen ; and yet he was in the
seat of a king. To fill the duties of these widely-
separated positions, as he nobly filled them, was one
of his greatest claims to human greatness.

General Garfield's situation in relation to the fac-
tions of the Republican party, and his determination
to preserve the tranquillity of the country, made the
selection of his cabinet one of the most difficult ques-
tions ever suggested for his study. If he appointed
only those who had supported him, it would show his
appreciation of their friendship, and endanger the
peace of the nation. If he appointed those who had
opposed him, it would lead to dissatisfaction through
the inclination of men to say it was a selfish bid for
a second term. If he appointed Hon. James G.
Blaine, then he should offend Hon. Roscoe Conk-
ling, who was the leading opponent of Mr. Blaine at
the Chicago Convention. If he appointed Mr. Conk-
ling, then Mr. Blaine or his friends would accuse the
President of partisanship. If he appointed both, there
would be a dangerous lack of harmony in the cabinet.
If he omitted them all and their supporters, there
was but a small class from which to choose his coun-
selors. So, endeavoring to look at the question from
a citizen's stand-point, but knowing that he could not
please all, he selected those who, while they repre
sented each prominent political movement of the day,
would be willing to hide their partisan and per-
sonal differences for the sake of the public good.
With that feeling, and that sincere desire for the

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD.

341

prosperity of the nation which was characteristic of
all his public life, he announced his cabinet as foJ
lows : Secretary of State, James G. Blaine, of Maine ;
Secretary of the Treasury, William Windom, of Min-
nesota ; Attorney-General, Wayne MacVeagh, of Penn-
sylvania ; Secretary of War, Robert T. Lincoln, o
Illinois ; Secretary of the Navy, William H. Hunt,
of Louisiana; Secretary of the Interior, Samuel J.
Kirkwood, of Iowa ; Postmaster-General, Thomas L,
James, of New York.

THE WHITE HOUSE.

342 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

CHAPTER XXI.

THE ASSASSINATION.

CHARGES J. GUITEAU. — SEEKING AW APPOINTMENT. — EVENTS OP HII
LIFE. — HIS DISHONESTY. — A LAWYER, WRITER, AND STUMP-SPEAKEB.

— APPLIES FOR A CONSULSHIP. - THE REFUSAL. — DEADLY PURPOSE.
* — ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THE I 5LITICAL CONTEST IN THE SENATE.

— DETERMINES TO MURDER THE PRESIDENT. — HOPES OF ESCAPE.—
FOLLOWING THE PRESIDENT. — FAILURE OF HIS COURAGE. — MR8.
GARFIELD'S PALE FACE SAVES THE PRESIDENT. — THE FINAL AT-
TEMPT.— THE MEETING. — THE FATAL SHOT. — THE PRISON. — THE
WHITE HOUSE. — UNIVERSAL GRIEF. — EXHIBITIONS OF HEROIC DE-
VOTION AND LOVE. — THE PRISONER IN HIS CELL.

Among the thousands of persistent hunters for
office who followed General Garfield and intruded
themselves upon his notice at unwelcome hours was
a man, forty years of age, and of rather slender stat
ure, by the name of Charles J. Guiteau. He was
born in Freeport, Illinois, and was by profession a
lawyer. He was not long in the practice of law, ow-
ing to the fact that, in Chicago and New York, the
only places where he opened his office, he was un
able to obtain business. He seems to have been
from earliest boyhood an erratic, self-willed, cruel
character. He was a student at Ann Arbor Univer-
sity, and was a gifted man in many respects. He

>F GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 343

married a most lovable lady in Chicago, but was so
immoral, cruel, and licentious that she obtained a
divorce about two years after marriage. Finding
the profession of law to be a failure, and getting
into jail in New York through some irregular prac-
tice and swindling, he concluded, on his escape, tf
adopt the literary profession. Having in his earl>
life been connected with the Oneida Community and
several other singular and seclusive religious bodies,
he concluded that in the line of religious books he
might achieve success.

This attempt was also a failure. He wrote and
published a book called "Truth," and resorted to
anything but religious and moral means to create a
market for it He floated about from city to city,
swindling landladies and hotels, and whoever would
trust him. His plausible manner and knowledge of
religious literature gained him admission to the clergy
and churches, and nearly all of them suffered more
or less from his dishonesty. He once took an office
in the Congregational House in Boston, and was for
a time advertised as a lecturer on religious topics.
His success in his dishonesty was so small that none
cared to take the trouble to prosecute him, and he
failed to receive at the hands of the law his just de-
serts.

Being laughed at, hooted, and driven out of the
field as a religious lecturer, he turned his attention
to politics, and, by his great assurance and falsehoods,
secured engagements and money in the campaign of

344 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

1880, in New York, Pennsylvania, and Illinois. He
was one of the first persons, after the election, to
send to General Garfield for an appointment. He
importuned the prominent politicians of New York
State for letters of recommendation, and received
several. He appeared in Washington during Gen
eral Garfield's visit there, before the inauguration,
and construed, or pretended to construe, a promise
to see him again into the promise to grant him an
appointment as consul at Marseilles.

He frequently stated to persons from whom he
borrowed money, and to the proprietors of boarding-
houses where he owed for his board, that the ap-
pointment was promised to him, and he should soon
be able to pay his debts. Some persons excused his
eccentricities and dishonesty by the thought that he
was insane, and his father, before he died, seemed to
think that his son's persistent lying and swindling was
the result of a diseased brain. But when the pecul-
iarities of his father's religious opinions and eccentric
behavior, which were often exceedingly strange, are
noted with the fact that his mother died in his in-
fancy, leaving him without maternal care or advice,
we can see much in his circumstances and heredi-
tary disposition to account for his crimes. Not
enough, however, to lead the public to believe that
he was actually insane. He was a great annoyance
and disgrace to his family, and none felt the shame
more keenly, or denounced the crime more strongly,
than did those who lived to hear of his terrible
crime.

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 345

The day after the inauguration, Guiteau called at
the White House to see President Garfield, but did
not find him there. He then wrote to the President,
asking an interview, to which he received no reply.
He then followed the President closely, wherever he
went, and stood outside for hours and watched the
houses where the President called, waiting for a
chance to press his suit for an office. Again and
again he intruded himself upon the President, who,
after becoming convinced of the man's unfitness for
official position, frankly refused to grant the petition.
Guiteau was very angry, and refused to be satisfied
with two or three denials ; and at last he became
so insulting in his demeanor that the President,
after a most remarkable display of patience, ordered
the officers at the White House to expel the intruder,
and refuse him admittance should he attempt to enter
again.

Mortified at his failure to obtain the coveted ap-
pointment, and angry beyond expression because of
his forcible ejection from the White House, he deter-
mined to have revenge. Various schemes suggested
themselves to him, according to his own confession,
which would bring disgrace and failure upon the ad-
ministration and shame upon the President, but none
would or could satisfy him but the murder of General
Garfield

While he was nursing his wrath and pushing his
courage up to the point where he could perform the
deed, a circumstance occurred which encouraged him

346 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

to think that the murder might be committed safely,
and even be regarded by many as a blessing.

A foolish and surprisingly bitter quarrel arose be-
tween the President and Senator Roscoe Conkling,
the latter being a very influential man in the United
States Senate, and one very much respected and
honored throughout the country. The senator de-
sired to control the appointments made by the Pres-
ident in New York State, and felt that it was due to
him for his active support of the Republican party
and General Garfield, after the defeat of his friend,
General Grant, in the convention at Chicago. He
also entertained the theory that the President ought
to consult the senators from each State before mak-
ing appointments to Federal offices in that State.
Hence, when President Garfield, without consulta-
tion with Senator Conkling, sent in to the Senate for
confirmation the name of Judge Robertson, of New
York, to be collector of that port, the senator was
angry. The appointment in that manner of one who
was personally opposed to him, was regarded by the
senator as an act of open hostility, notwithstanding
the President, at the same time, sent in a list of ap-
pointments containing many of the political support-
ers of the senator.

The senator did not conceal his anger, and his
attack upon the President was harsh, hasty, and un-
becoming a man of his ability or position. The Pres;
ident felt that the opposition was causeless and spite-
ful, and, looking at the matter unbiased by the human

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 347

tendency to excuse everything when a man is dead,
it must be said, acted unwisely in noticing the sen-
ator's opposition. The President, losing for a mo-
ment that dignity, caution, and charity which made
his character so grand and conspicuous, sent a mes-
sage to the Senate withdrawing the appointment o
Senator Conkling's friends, leaving the Senate tc
safely conclude that, unless the appointment of
Judge Robertson was confirmed, none of Senator
Csnkling's supporters would be appointed to office.
It was a contest the nation was ashamed of, and one
illustrating the weakness and dangers of the civil serv
ice system which General Garfield himself was try-
ing heroically to reform.

Senator Conkling tried for a few days to induce
the Senate to reject Judge Robertson, but finding
that body determined to support the President, he
sent in his resignation, and induced his colleague,
Senator Piatt, of New York, to do the same foolish
thing. Both of the senators tried to get the New
York Legislature to indorse their action by a reelec-
tion, but met with an ignominious failure.

The whole contest was one of those unaccounta-
bly silly quarrels which sometimes cloud the pages
of history, in confirmation of the Scripture saying
that " great men are not always wise." Out of such
a battle neither of the warriors could come unscathed.
It stirred up the whole nation ; created antagonisms ;
encouraged enmities; injured the public business;
created a distrust of our institutions, tending to hin-

34§ THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

der prosperity, and all on account of petty, personal
spite and unconsidered willfulness.

In that unexpected tempest, Guiteau found much
encouragement. He believed that if he could wreak
his vengeance at such a time he would have the sym-
pathy and support of the President's political ene-
mies. Although they never knew Guiteau or com-
municated with him, and never said aught to show
the slightest sympathy with such a horrible idea,
yet he was angry enough to entertain the idea that
they would come to his relief, especially as the Vice-
President, who would be promoted, was the most
intimate supporter and outspoken sympathizer with
Senator Conkling. How unfounded and unreasona-
ble were his conclusions was subsequently demon-
strated.

Arming himself with a heavy revolver, he deter-
mined to obtain his revenge by shooting the Presi-
dent. He had a hard task to overcome the remon-
strances of his own heart. Again and again he
started to do the deed, and crept back a coward be-
fore his own conscience.

" Conscience doth make cowards of us all."

Once he followed the President from the White
House to the residence of Secretary Blaine, dodging
along from dark corners and skulking by stone bal-
ustrades ; and the peaceful, confident Head of the na-
tion walked cheerfully by those hiding places, and
Guiteau, with his revolver cocked, could not muster
the strength to pull the trigger.

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 349

Once the assassin thought he was sure his con-
science was stifled, and followed the President's car-
riage to the railway station, determined to delay the
deed no longer ; but when the affectionate husband
lifted his wife from the carriage, and' Guiteau saw her
thin hands and pale, sweet face, he was defeated
again ; and, stuffing his revolver in his pocket, said,
u I '11 wait till she is better."

He pondered over the matter, making careful cal-
culations on the effect of the President's death, and
planned how to avoid the rage of the mob which the
murde/ would be likely to raise. He wrote a letter
beforehand to General Sherman, to be delivered to
him at once after the murder, asking for troops to
protect him at the jail.

On Friday, the first day of July, Guiteau saw by
the papers that the President intended to take the
train for New York the next morning, and again
determined to secure his revenge; and appears to
have passed much of the night in perfecting his
plans. In the morning of Saturday, July 2d, he
loaded his revolver, hired a hack to take him hastily
from the station after he should have killed his vic-
tim, and placed himself near the entrance to the Bal-
timore Railroad waiting-room, thinking to kill the
President there.

Soon after the assassin had taken his post at the
door, President Garfield and Secretary Blaine alighted
from their carriage, and for five minutes stood close
to Guiteau, engaged in conversation. But he was

350 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

having another struggle in attempting to deaden the
voice of God within him, and could not shoot then.
But the sudden call of the conductor, " All aboard ! "
and the quick movements of the passengers in the
station, enabled him to throw off the spell, and with
a satanic desperation and horrible impulse he turned
as the President passed him and fired the first shot.
He was so close to his victim that he saw his aim
had not been true, and as the startled President
leaped one side the assassin took a surer aim, and
fired the second time, with deadly effect. The second
bullet entered the President's side, tore through the
spine, and remained lodged in the flesh.

The horrified spectators rushed to the wounded
man, seized the assassin, and for a time there was the
greatest confusion and terror. But soon the doors
were shut to keep out the excited crowd, surgical aid
called for the President, and the assassin hurried
away to the jail.

The surgeons called to aid the President declared
at once that the shot must be fatal, and ordered the
fainting and bleeding man carried by ambulance to
the White House.

The awful calamity was instantly made known to
the people of the nation by telegraph ; and Mrs. Gar-
field, who awaited her husband at Long Branch, in-
stead of seeing his face, was met by the news of his
assassination. Millions of people wept that day.

" This Duncan
Has borne his faculties so meek, hath been
So clear in his great office, that his virtue*

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 35 1

Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against
The deep damnation of his taking off."

" The tyrannous and bloody act is done ;
The most arch deed of piteous massacre
That ever yet this land was guilty of."

At once the great heart of the nation beat quick
with sympathy, and whatever of jealousy, hate, oppo-
sition, or dislike had existed in the hearts of men was
dispelled by the presence of sincere sorrow. His
most bitter opponents sent promptly their messages
of sympathy, and thousands of messages from offi-
cers, statesmen, governors, ambassadors, queens, em-
perors, and kings, accumulated in great piles at the
White House. The whole world felt the shock, and
with a unanimity never known before expressed
their detestation of the horrible deed.

The most skillful physicians of the country — in-
cluding Dr. Bliss, Dr. Agnew, and Dr. Hamilton —
were called to Washington ; Mrs. Garfield was taken
by a special train to her husband ; and every appli-
ance which human skill has invented, and which could
give any relief or hope, was immediately brought into
use.

The physicians gave some encouragement that the
President could possibly recover ; and for eighty long
days and nights the nation eagerly scanned every
bulletin from the physicians with almost breathless
suspense.

The Cabinet officers remained in attendance on the
wounded President, — some of them laying aside for

352 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

the time their port-folios to take up the merciful task
of watching and nursing at the bedside. As day
after day of his sufferings passed, the anxious people
felt more and more the greatness of their loss, and
as they heard day by day his expressions of Chris-
tian resignation and trust their love for him grew I
strong and pure.

The devotion of Mrs. Garfield and the affection
of the mother and children became themes for poets
and essayists. The purity of character and heroism
of the wife were so touching, so sublime, that she
became a loved sister or daughter to all the people.
She was enshrined in their hearts by her saintly for-
titude, until day by day her every movement and
every word was treasured as a revelation.

The bond of a common grief united the people
with each other, and the sufferings of the afflicted
President and his wife at Washington lifted the
American people into a purer sphere, and cemented
in love the bands of friendship and concord which
no statesmanship could have accomplished.

His dear old mother at his home in Ohio sent him
her messages of love and encouragement in such a
holy and tender manner as to melt the hardest
heart.

When the world saw how uncomplainingly he could
suffer, and when they knew of his charity even for
the assassin, they recognized in General Garfield a
purity, nobility, and heroism they would not other-
wise have seen. Then the public felt with regard to

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 353

him as it should feel toward others : " We did not ap-
preciate him until too late."

Meanwhile, the assassin, almost boasting of his
crime and waiting for the death, eagerly inquired
every day for the news. He declared that it was for
the good of the nation that he committed the deed,
and pretended to pray for the people. His prison
was guarded by police and soldiers to protect him
from the mob, for the people regarded him and his
act in almost a frenzy of rage.

Even one of the sentinels set to guard him at-
tempted to shoot him, and but for the bar of iron on
his cell would have succeeded. The ball grazed
Guiteau's head. That unlawful attempt on his life
tended to make the murderer change his demeanor,
and from that time on the fear of death was so great
that every footstep in the corridor startled him, and
when told that the President was dying his seared
conscience assumed again its sceptre, and made him
crouch and cower, and call on God and man for
mercy.

*3

354 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

CHAPTER XXII.

DEATH AND BURIAL.

BKMOVAL TO LONG BRANCH. — VIEW OF THE SEA. — THE LAST DAT OI
LIFE. — SUDDEN DEATH. — THE OBIEF OF THE WOBLD. — THE FUNE-
RAL TRAIN. — IN THE BOTUNDA AT THE CAPITOL. — THE CEREMONIES
AT WASHINGTON. — THE ADDRESSES. — TRIBUTE FROM QUEEN VIC-
TORIA. — REMOVAL OF THE BODY TO CLEVELAND. — LAST RITE8. —
THE PROCESSION. — THE LAST ADDRESS. — RETURN OF MOURNERS.

When the President had lingered and suffered at
the White House for more than two months, holding
on to life with an almost miraculous tenacity, and
suffering incessantly the acutest pain, a council of
noted physicians was called to consider the advisa-
bility of removing him from the heat and malaria of
Washington. He had lost more than one hundred
pounds in weight, and had become so weak that it
did not seem possible that, without a change, he could
survive many days. He longed to get away from the
place in which he had suffered so much, and as there
seemed no hope for him there, the physicians con-
sented to undertake his removal to Long Branch, on
the New Jersey shore.

His removal for so many hundred miles in his dan-
gerously low state was one of the most remarkable

pq

11 -'UV M

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 355

feats of these modern days. The railroad company
laid 'a track to the White House, in Washington, and
another track to the cottage which kind friends fur-
nished for him at the shore ; so that he was taken
frcm door to door in an elegant, comfortable, and com
modious car, and carried from the house to the car
and from the car to the seaside cottage, without suf-
ficient commotion or movement of his couch to cause
any perceptible increase of his pulse. Although he
exhibited signs of exhaustion the next day, he did
not attribute it to the journey as much as to the ex-
citement and pleasure of being in a new place and
amid new scenes.

The success of his removal gave fresh hope to the
nation, — which had set apart, and observed sacredly,
a day of prayer for him, — and Mrs. Garfield fell
greatly encouraged. Especially hopeful was she
when she found," a few days after, that he was able
to lie in a reclining-chair and look out upon the beau-
tiful sea. It was a delight to all bis attendants to sed
him as his countenance lit up with pleasure, saying,
" Oh, the beautiful sea !"

But he often mentioned his strong desire to be
back in his " Lawnfield " home at Mentor, and some-
times he yearned, with an indescribable sense of
homesickness, to see his home and his mother. Oh,
how shallow and vain the fame of human greatness
appeared to him then, and how much dearer and
sweeter than aught else seemed a peaceful domestic
life 1 In his dreams he saw his old schoolmates and

356 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

friends. In those hours when his mind wandered,
breaking away from its crushing load of pain, he
would talk of his cousin Henry, his uncle Thomas,
his brother and his sisters, and of his mother, as if it
were but a day since his mother's home was broken
up. How insignificant, after all, is all the pomp, pa
rade, and honors of a public life to one who loves his
wife, his children, and his home ! Ah, yes, as Mrs.
Garfield foresaw, his election, while a great gain to
the nation, was a calamity to them !

On Monday, September 19th, the symptoms of the
President's case were very discouraging, and nearly
every one about him abandoned all hope of recovery.
But he had held out so long, the blood-poisoning,
caused by the absorption into the system of the dis-
charge from the wound had been so insidious and
slow, that no one looked for his immediate death.
But the gloomy presentiment was so strong upon the
inmates of the cottage that they involuntarily began
to mourn for him as one dead. An eye-witness re-
lated an incident which well illustrates the situation
that day : —

Late in the morning the President expressed a
wish to see his daughter Mollie. When the child
went into the room she kissed her father, and told
him that she was glad to see that he was looking so
much better. He said : —

" You think I do look better, Mollie ? "

She said : " I do, papa," and then she took a chair
and sat near the foot of the bed.

A moment or two after, Dr. Boynton noticed that

Portrait ov hib Mother.

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 357

she was swaying in her chair. He stepped up to her,
but before he could reach her she had fallen over in
a dead faint. In falling, her face struck against the
bedpost, and when they raised her from the floor she
was not only unconscious, but also bleeding from the
contusion she had received. They carried her out,
and she speedily recovered. The President, they
thought, had not noticed what had happened to his
petted child, for he seemed to have sunk into a stu-
por ; but when Dr. Boynton came back into the room,
he was astonished to hear the President say : —

■ Poor little Mollie, she fell over like a log. What
was the matter ? "

They assured the President that she was quite re-
stored. He again sank into a stupor or sleep, which
lasted until the noon examination.

In the evening, between nine and ten o'clock, Mrs.
Garfield was alone with her husband for some time,
the first time for many days ; but when other persons
came into the room, and Mrs. Garfield retired, she
felt that he was going to have a very comfortable
night Not a thought that in a few brief moments
the President would be out of suffering crossed her
mind. When he dropped off to sleep, he said he was
feeling very comfortable.

Within ten minutes afterwards the President said, in
agonizing tones, to General Swaim, who had watched
with him throughout his entire sickness : " O Swaim !
Swaim ! I am in terrible agony ; can't you do some-
thing to relieve me ? Oh my heart ! the terrible
pain ! "

General Swaim hurriedly crossed the hall and
called Dr. Bliss, who was preparing his report of the

358 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

case during the day. Although not a minute elapsed
before he was at the President's side, the moment he
saw the features he remarked that death had claimed
its own. There was no pulse, and by putting his ear
down he was enabled to distinguish a very slight
beating of the heart. Mrs. Garfield was hastily sum-
moned, and the other occupants of the cottage. The
scene was a sad one. The look of agony on the face
of Mrs. Garfield, as she reached her husband's bed-
side, and took hold of his hands, and realized that
life was on its flight, will never fade from the minds
of those present.

Miss Mollie Garfield, General Swaim, Colonel
Rockwell, O. C. Rockwell, Mrs. Rockwell, Private
Secretary Brown, Mr. Warren Young, Dr. Bliss, Dr.
Agnew, and Dr. Boynton stood about the bedside as
life fled.

The scene was affecting ii\ the extreme, but Mrs.
Garfield bore up under the terrible affliction with
the wonderful fortitude she had all along exhibited.

There she sat, a heart-stricken woman, full of grief,
but with too much Christian courage to exhibit it to
those about her. She, of course, was laboring under
a terrible strain, and, despite her efforts, tears flowed
from her eyes, and her lips became drawn by her at-
tempt to bear the burden with which she had been
afflicted. Miss Mollie was naturally greatly affected,
and bursts of tears flowed from the child's eyes, not-
withstanding her noble effort to follow the example
of her mother. The death scene was one never to
be forgotten.

Guoup of his Five Children.

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 359

At his bedside, holding his poor, emaciated hand
in her own, and watching with an anguish unutter-
able the fast-vanishing sands of life, sat the faithful,
devoted wife during the closing hours of the Pres-
ident's career. Around him were other weeping
friends and physicians, lamenting their powerless-
ness in the presence of the dark angel of death.
Toward the last the mind of the sufferer wandered.
He was once more back in Mentor, amid those scenes
where the happiest hours of his life were spent. He
sat in the dear old homestead again, with the loved
ones around him : the aged mother, so proud of her
big boy, the faithful wife, the beloved children. It
was a blissful dream, that robbed death of its terrors,
and rendered the dying man for the moment uncon-
scious of the cruel rending of his once vigorous
frame that was constantly going on. The moan of
the restless ocean mingled with the sobs of the loved
ones as the lamp of life went out forever.

Within an hour the terrible news was known in
every city of the country, and everywhere the sol-
emn toll of church and fire bells told the awakening
people in their beds that their beloved President was
dead. Never did people more sincerely mourn than
did those of the American nation when General
Garfield's life went out in cruel pain : —

" This is the very top,
The height, the crest, or crest unto the crest,
Of murder's arms : this is the bloodiest shame,
The wildest savagery, the vilest stroke,
That ever wall-eyed wrath or staring rage
Presented to the tears of soft remorse.

36O THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

All murders past do stand excused in this ;
And this, so sole and so unmatchable,
Shall give a holiness, a purity,
To the yet unbegotten sin of times ;
And prove a deadly bloodshed but a jest
Exampled by this heinous spectacle."

Everywhere there was weeping, and the messages
of condolence which came to Mrs. Garfield were as
sincere as they were numerous.

One of the first received was from the Queen of
England, and read as follows : —

Balmoral.

Words cannot express the deep sympathy I feel
with you. May God support and comfort you, as He
alone can.

(Signed) The Queen.

Towns, cities, and states, republics and kingdoms,
including nearly every nation on earth, sent their
messages of sympathy. The exhibition of a grief so
world-wide was a sublime event, and something new
in the world's history.

The immediate cause of the death was for some
time a matter of dispute among physicians ; but those
who were in charge of President Garfield's case, both
at Washington and after his removal to Long Branch,
assisted by Dr. Andrew H. Smith, of Elberon, and
Dr. D. S. Lamb, of the Army Medical Museum at
Washington, made a post-mortem examination of the
deceased President's body, at Long Branch, the next
day after his death. The operation was performed
by Dr. Lamb, and it was found that the ball, after

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 36 1

fracturing the right eleventh rib, had passed through
the spinal column in front of the spinal canal, fract-
uring the body of the first lumbar vertebrae, driving
a number of small fragments of bone into the adja
cent soft parts, and lodging just below the pancreas,
about two inches and a half ' to the left of the spine
and behind the peritoneum, where it had become
completely encysted. The immediate cause of death
was secondary hemorrhage from one of the mesenteric
arteries adjoining the track of the ball, the blood
rupturing the peritoneum, and nearly a pint escaping
into the abdominal cavity. This hemorrhage is be-
lieved to have been the cause of the severe pain in
the lower part of the chest, complained of just before
death. An abscess cavity, six inches by four in di-
mensions, was found in the vicinity of the gall blad-
der, between the liver and the transverse colon, which
were strongly inter-adherent It did not involve the
substance of the liver, and no communication was
found between it and the wound. A long suppurat-
ing channel extended frcm the external wound, be-
tween the loin muscles and the right kidney, almost
to the right groin. This channel, now known to be
due to the burrowing of pus from the wound, was sup-
posed during life to have been the track of the ball.
On an examination of the organs of the chest, evi-
dences of severe bronchitis were found on both sides,
with broncho-pneumonia of the lower portions of the
right lung, and, though to much less extent, of the
left The lungs contained no abscesses, and the h*art

362 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

no clots. The liver was enlarged and fatty, but free
from abscesses. Nor were any found in any other
organ except the left kidney, which contained near
its surface a small abscess, about one third of an inch
in diameter. In reviewing the history of the case
in connection with the autopsy, it is quite evident
that the different suppurating surfaces, and especially
the fractured spongy tissue of the vertebrae, furnish
a sufficient explanation of the septic condition which
existed.

The official report was signed by the following-
named surgeons : D. W. Bliss, J. K. Barnes, J. J.
Woodward, Robert Reyburn, Frank H. Hamilton, D.
Hayes Agnew, Andrew H. Smith, D. S. Lamb.

The preparations for the burial, those saddest rites
which the human heart has to bear in this life, were
made in accordance with Mrs. Garfield's desire, with-
out ostentation or extravagant expense. The coffin
was plain and substantial, with the simplest orna-
mentation, and the dresses of mourners and bearers
were less costly, and made less display, than those
seen at the funerals of many private citizens of the
republic.

The Cabinet felt that, as he was peculiarly the
friend of the nation, and related to it by such near
official relationship, there ought to be a public fu-
neral at the Capitol ; and, the friends of the dead con-
senting to such arrangement, the bo^y was taken to
Washington on Wednesday after the President's
death. The railroad along the rout? *f the funeral

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 363

train, from Long Branch to Washington, was visited
by thousands of people, who, with uncovered heads
or in a kneeling position, watched the train as it
swept by.

At the stations in the large cities immense throngs,
numbering fifty thousand or more, gathered, and as
the train with its sombre decorations came in sight
the crowds wept in grief-stricken silence. In Wash-
ington every person able to be in the streets, white
and black, appeared to have joined the mourning
multitude assembled to show their respect and sym-
pathy.

The body was taken at once to the Capitol, and
placed in the centre of that great rotunda where he
met the gaze of the acclaiming multitude at his in-
auguration but a few months before.

For two days the body lay in state at the Capitol,
and was viewed by more than one hundred thousand
people.

Once the crowd was shut out, and the guards re-
moved from the rotunda, and Mrs. Garfield was left
alone for an hour with her precious dead. In that
great circular hall that rose to such a height, where
art and science have striven together to add to its
grandeur, where every whisper or sob echoes with
weird distinctness, the lonely widow kept her sad
vigil. Sacred hour! when the stricken heart sits
alone with its dead and its God !

The floral decorations about the coffin were of
the most elegant description, yet so chaste and plain

364 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

as to present a most touching scene. A most ex-
quisite specimen of the florist's art *as contributed
by the British minister by special order of Queen
Victoria, and bore a card with the following inscrip-
tion : —

Queen Victoria to the memory of the late Pres
ident Garfield. An expression of her sorrow and
sympathy with Mrs. Garfield and the American na-
tion.

Septem ter 22, 1881.

The funeral services were very simple and uncer-
emonious, and in accordance with the usual funeral
customs of the Christian denomination, of which Gen-
eral Garfield had been a member and a preacher. The
account of them given by an eye-witness was as fol-
lows : —

At 2.40 p. m. Colonel Rockwell, Dr. Boynton, Pri-
vate Secretary Brown, Messrs. Judd, Pruden, War-
ren Young, Hendley, and Duke, Mr. and Mrs. Bol-
ney, Colonel and Mrs. Corbin, Mrs. Pruden, Mr. and
Mrs. Montgomery and Mrs. Dean, representing the
household of the late President, entered the rotunda
of the Capitol, and took the seats reserved for them.
The members of the House filed in through the
south door, preceded by the officers of that body and
by ex-Speakers Randall and Banks. They were fol-
lowed by the senators, Senator Anthony leading, who
entered by the north door. At three o'clock the
Cabinet and distinguished guests entered in the fol-
lowing order : President Arthur and Secretary Blaine,
ex-Presidents Grant and Hayes, Secretary and Mrs.
Windom, Secretary and Mrs. Lincoln, Secretary and
Mrs. Hunt, Attorney-General and Mrs. MacVeagh,

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 365

Secretary Kirkwood and Postmaster-General James,
and Generals Drum and Beale, the diplomatic corps,
the representatives of the army and navy, and sena-
tors and members of the House of Representatives.

Mrs. Garfield and the children were not present
at the ceremonies.

Services were opened by Rev. Dr. Powers promptly
at three o'clock. He ascended the dais, and briefly
announced the opening hymn, "Asleep in Jesus,
blessed sleep," which was rendered by a choir of
fifty voices.

Rev. Dr. Rankin then ascended the raised plat-
form at the head of the catafalque, and read in a
clear, distinct voice the Scriptural selections. Rev.
Dr. Isaac Errett then offered prayer.

As the closing words of the prayer died away, Rev.
F. D. Powers, of the Vermont Avenue Christian
Church, of which President Garfield was a member,
delivered a feeling address.

At the conclusion of Dr. Powers's address Rev.
J. G. Butler offered prayer.

This closed the ceremonies, and the vast assem-
blage, with bowed heads and reverent mien, arose
as the casket containing the remains of President
Garfield was slowly borne from the building in which
he had gained so many laurels and triumphs. The
casket was followed by President Arthur, leaning on
the arm of Secretary Blaine, and by the members
of the Cabinet, and in a quarter of an hour the ro-
tunda was nearly deserted. During the progress of
the ceremonies the appearance of the rotunda was
solemn and impressive. The chairs, of which there
were three hundred in the hall, were completely filled,
while many persons remained standing in the aisles.
The glitter of the uniforms of the army and the
navy and the court uniforms of the representatives
of the diplomatic corps served to brighten to a cer-

366 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

tain degree the solemnity of the scene. Save a little
confusion incident upon the seating of the officers of
the army and navy, the best of order was preserved
throughout, and no incident occurred to interrupt
the sad impressiveness of the ceremonies.

Immediately after the close of the services the
floral decorations were all removed (Mrs. Garfield
having requested that they be sent to her home at
Mentor) except the beautiful wreath, the gift of
Queen Victoria, which had been placed upon the
head of the coffin when the lid was closed, and which,
when the coffin was borne to the hearse, remained
upon it till the remains were buried. This touching
tribute of Queen Victoria greatly moved Mrs. Gar-
field, as only a woman can feel a woman's sympathy
at the time of her greatest earthly sorrow.

The coffin having been placed in the hearse, a
single gun was fired from Hanneman's battery, the
Second Artillery Band struck up a funeral march,
and the procession moved in the following order
around the south front of the Capitol to the avenue :
Two battalions of District of Columbia militia, ten
companies ; two companies of United States marines,
four companies of the United States Second Artil-
lery, Light Battery Company A, United States Ar-
tillery ; Grand Army of the Republic, Roscoe Conk-
ling Club, Boys in Blue, Columbia, Washington, and
DeMolay Commanderies, Knights Templars, of this
city, in full regalia ; Beausant Commandery Knights
Templars of Baltimore. Then came the hearse,
drawn by six iron-gray horses, each led by a colored
groom ; following the hearse came about a hundred
carriages, which were occupied by officers of the Ex-
ecutive Mansion, and wives, relatives of the late Pres-
ident, ex-Presidents Grant and Hayes, President Ar-
thur, and Secretary Blaine. The other Cabinet min-
isters and their wives, the diplomatic corps, Chief

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 367

Justice Waite, and Associate Justices Harlan, Mat-
thews, and Miller ; senators, members of the House,
governors of States and Territories, and commis-
sioners of the District of Columbia; the judges of
the Court of Claims, the judiciary of the District of
Columbia, and judges of the United States courts *
the assistant Secretaries of State, Treasury, and In
terior departments ; the assistant postmaster-general,
the solicitor-general, and the assistant attorneys-gen-
eral. As the procession moved minute guns were
fired from the military posts and forts surrounding
the city, and the church bells were tolled. At least
40,000 people were gathered about the Capitol to
witness the start of the procession, while along the
line of march to Sixth Street the crowd was even
greater than on the 4th of March. Everywhere it
was most orderly and quiet ; and as the hearse con-
taining the remains moved along the avenue, from
the very door of the Capitol to the entrance of the
depot, all heads were uncovered.

On reaching the depot the military were drawn up
in line upon the opposite side of the Street, facing
the Sixth Street entrance. The remains were borne
from the hearse upon the shoulders of six soldiers of
the Second Artillery and placed in the funeral car.
The ten officers from the army and navy, selected as
the guard of honor, stood with uncovered heads as
the remains were taken from the hearse, and then
escorted them to the car.

Again the scenes of the previous Wednesday were
repeated, and, as the funeral train proceeded on its
way to Cleveland, one almost unbroken line of peo-
ple, sometimes swelling into great seas of human be-
ings, greeted the sad procession with bare heads,
tears, and sad faces.

*$68 thS life, speeches, and public services

The funeral train arrived in Cleveland on Satur-
day, the 24th, and the funeral at that place was held
on Monday, the 26th. An eye-witness of the tearfu?
scenes of that day gave the following account : —

All that is mortal of the late President reposes in
a tomb in the beautiful Lake View Cemetery oi
Cleveland. To-day the last funeral rites were cele-
brated in the open air of the public square, where
the body has lain in state since Saturday.

The aged mother, the noble widow, the sons and
the daughter, and the other relatives of General Gar-
field, the members of the household of the White
House, the friends who had enjoyed his love and
confidence, and the members of the Cabinet and
their families, were seated around the coffin under
the arched roof of the catafalque, and unseen by the
larger company on the platform. The members of the
Senate and House of Representatives, governors of
States and other official dignitaries and committees,
were assembled on the platform in due order, to-
gether with the Marine Band and the singing socie-
ties who were to take part in the exercises. All
faced toward the coffin, resting on its high bier. All
around the square, looking on with intense interest,
although unable to hear anything but the music, was
a dense crowd, completely filling the streets, and
numbering from twenty to forty thousand.

Promptly at half past ten o'clock the ceremonies
at the pavilion began. The immediate members of
the family and near relatives and friends took seats
about the casket, and at each corner was stationed
a member of the Cleveland Grays. Dr. J. P. Robin-
son, president of the ceremonies, announced that the
exercises would be opened by singing by the Cleve-
land Vocal Society of the " Funeral Hymn," by Eeet-
hoven ; whereupon the hymn was sung as follows : —

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 369

**Tkoo art gone to the grave, bat we will not deplore thee,
Though sorrow and darkness encompass the tomb ;
The Saviour has passed through its portals before thee,
And the lamp of his love is thy light through the gloom."

The Scriptures were then read by the Right Rev.
Bishop Bedell, of the Episcopal diocese of Ohio.

The Rev. Ross C. Houghton, pastor of the First
Methodist Episcopal Church, then offered prayer.
After which the Rev. Isaac Errett, of Cincinnati, de-
livered an eloquent address, taking for his text the
following : —

■ And the archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his
servant, ' Have me away, for I am sore wounded.' "

There was never a mourning in all the world like
unto this mourning. I am not speaking extrava-
gantly when I say — for I am told it is the result of
calculations carefully made from such data as are in
possession — that certainly not less than three hun-
dred millions of the human race share in the sadness
and the lamentations and sorrow and mourning that
belong to this occasion here to-day. It is a chill
shadow of a fearful calamity that has extended itself
into every home in all this land and into every heart,
and that has projected itself over vast seas and
oceans into distant lands, and awakened the sincerest
and profoundest sympathy with us in the hearts of
the good people of the nations and among all peo-
ple. . . . He passed all the conditions of virtuous
life between the log cabin in Cuyahoga and the
White House, and in that wonderful, rich, and va-
ried experience, still moving up from higher to
higher, he has touched every heart in all this land
at some point or other, and he became the repre
sentative of all hearts and lives in this land, and
not only the teacher but the interpreter of all vir-
24

370 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

tues ; for he knew their wants and he knew their
condition, and he established legitimate ties of
brotherhood with every man with whom he came in(
contact. I take it that this rock on which his whole'
life rested, followed up by the perpetual and endur-'
ing industry that marked his whole career, made him*
at once the honest and the1 capable man who invited
in every act of his life, and received, the confidence
and the love, the unbounded confidence and trust
and love, of all that learned to know him. There is
yet one other thing that I ought to mention here.
There was such an admirable harmony of all his
powers; there was such a beautiful adjustment of
the physical, intellectual, and moral in his being ;
there was such an equitable distribution of physical,
intellectual, and moral forces, that his nature looked
out every way to get in sympathy with everything,
and found about equal delight in all pursuits and all
studies, so that he became, through his industry and
honest ambition, really encyclopedic There was
scarce any single chord that you could touch to
which he would not respond in a way that made you
know that his hands had swept it skillfully long ago ;
and there was no topic you could bring before him,
there was no object you could present to him, that
you did not wonder at the richness and fullness of
information somehow gathered ; for his eyes were al-
ways open, and his heart was always open, and his
brain was ever busy and equally interested in every-
thing. The minute and the vast, the high and the
r low, in all classes and creeds of men, he gathered up
that immense store and that immense variety of the
most valuable and practical knowledge that made
him a man, not in one department, but in all rounds,
everywhere in his whole beautiful and symmetrical
life and character.

But, my friends, the solemnity of this hour forbid*

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 37I

any further investigation in that line, and further
detail of a very remarkable life. For these details
you are familiar with, or, if not, they will come before
you through various channels hereafter. It is my
duty, in the presence of the dead, and in view of all
the solemnities that rest upon us now in a solemn
burial-service, to call your attention to the great les-
son taught to you, and by which we ought to become
wiser and purer and better men. And I want to say,
therefore, that there comes a voice from the dead to
this entire nation, and not only to the people, but to
those in places of trust, to our legislators, and our
governors, and our military men, and our leaders of
party, and all classes and creeds in the Union and in
the States, as well as to those who dwell in humble
life, qualified with the dignities and privileges of cit-
izenship. The great lesson to which I desire to point
you can be expressed in few words. James A. Gar-
field went through his whole public life without sur-
rendering for a single moment his Christian integrity,
his moral integrity, or his love for the spiritual. Com-
ing into the exciting conflicts of political life with a
nature capable as any of feeling the force of every
temptation, with unlawful prizes within his reach,
with every inducement to surrender all his religious
faith and be known as a successful man of the world,
from first to last he has manfully adhered to his relig-
ious convictions. ... I feel just at this point that
we need this lesson, this great, wondrous land of
ours, this mighty nation in its marvelous upward ca-
reer, with its ever-increasing power opening its arms
to receive from all lands people of all languages, all
religions, and all conditions, to blend them with us,
to melt them into a common mass, so it becomes
like the Corinthian brass, and in one type of man-
hood thus incorporating all the various nations of
the earth in one grand brotherhood, presenting be-

372 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

fore the nations of the world a spectacle of free-
dom and strength and prosperity and power beyond
anything the world has ever known. . , . And the
wife, who began with him in young womanhood,
has bravely kept step with him right along through
all his wondrous career ; and who has been not only
his wife, but his friend and his counselor through
all their succession of prosperities and this increase
of influence and power ; and who, when the day of
calamity came, was his ministering angel, his proph-
etess, his priestess, when the circumstances were
such as to forbid ministrations from other hands ;
speaking to him the words of cheer which sus-
tained him through that long, fearful struggle for
life, and watching over him when his dying vision
rested on her beloved form, and sought from her
eyes an answering gaze that should speak when
words could not speak. And the children, who have
grown up to a period that they can remember all
that belonged to him, left fatherless in a world like
this, yet surrounded with a nation's sympathy and
with a world's affection, and able to treasure in their
hearts its grand lessons of his noble and wondrous
life, may be assured that the eyes of the nation are
upon them, and that the hearts of the people go out
after them. While there is much to support and en-
courage, it is still a sad thing and calls for our deep-
est sympathy that they have lost such a father, and
are left to make their way through this rough world
without his guiding hand or his wise counsels. But
that which makes this terrible to them now is just
that which, as the years go by, will make very sweet
and bright and joyous memories to fill all the lives of
the coming years by the very loss which they deplore,
and by all the loving actions that bound them in
blessed sympathy in the home circle. They will live
over again ten thousand times all the sweet life of

OP GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 373

the past, and though dead he will still live with them,
and though his tongue be dumb in the grave he will
speak anew to them ten thousand beautiful lessons
of love, and righteousness, and truth. May God in
his infinite mercy bear them in his arms and bless
them as they need in this hour of thick darkness,
and bear them safely through what remains of the
troubles and sorrows of the pilgrimage unto the
everlasting home, where there shall be no more
death nor crying, neither shall there be any more
pain, for the former things shall have forever passed
away. We commit you, beloved friends, to the arms
and the care of the everlasting Father, who has
promised to be the God of the widow and the father
of the fatherless in his holy habitation, and whose
sweet promise goes with us through all the dark and
stormy paths of life. " I will never leave thee nor
*orsake thee."

I have discharged now the solemn covenant trust
reposed in me many years ago, in harmony with a
friendship that has never known a cloud, a confi-
dence that has never trembled, and a love that has
never changed. Farewell, my friend and brother !
Thou hast fought a good fight. Thou hast finished
thy course. Thou hast kept the faith. Henceforth
there is laid up for thee a crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to thee
in that day ; and not unto thee only, but unto all
them also who love his offering.

The Rev. Jabez Hall then read General Garfield's
favorite hymn, which was beautifully sung by the
Vocal Society, as follows : —

" Ho ! reapers of life's harvest,
Why stand with rusted blade
Until the night draws round thee,
And day begins to fade ?

374 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

Why stand ye idle, waiting

For reapers more to come 1
The golden morn is passing,

Why sit ye idle, dumb 1

At 11.45 Dr. Charles S. Pomeroy delivered the
final prayer and benediction.

The funeral procession moved from Monumental
Park at five minutes before twelve o'clock.

A succession of heavy showers so delayed the fu-
neral procession that the line had to be broken be-
fore it reached the cemetery, and forming in files on
either side of the avenue for nearly three miles the
military and civic societies made way for the funeral
car. The state militia were stationed at the en-
trance to the cemetery, and on either side of the
driveways leading to the vault where, at Mrs. Gar-
field's request, it was decided to place the remains.
The steps to the vault were carpeted with flowers,
and on either side of the entrance was an anchor
of tuberoses and a cross of white smilax and ever-
greens. Festooned above it a heavy black canopy
was stretched over the steps from which the exer-
cises were to b"e conducted.

At half past three o'clock the procession entered
the gateway, which was arched over with black, with
appropriate inscriptions. In the keystone were 'he
words " Come to rest ; " on one side were the vords
" Lay him to rest whom we have learned to love,"
on the other " Lay him to rest whom we have learned
to trust."

None of the President's family, except two of the

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 375

boys, left the carriages during the exercises at the
tomb, which occupied less than half an hour. Dr.
J. P. Robinson, as president of the day, opened the
exercises by introducing the Rev. J. H. Jones, chap-
lain of the forty-second Ohio regiment, which Gen-
eral Garfield commanded. Mr. Jones said : —

Our illustrious chief has completed his journey's
end, — a journey that we must all soon make, and
that in the near future. Yet when I see the grand
surroundings of this occasion, I am led to inquire,
Was this man the son of the emperor, of the king,
that wore a crown ? For -i« the history of this great
country there has been nothing like this seen. Yet, I
thought, perhaps, speaking after the manner of man,
that he was a prince, and this was offered in a man-
ner after royalty. But this is not an offering such as
is made to earthly kings and emperors, though he
was a prince and a freeman, the great commoner of
the United States. Only a few miles from where we
stand, less than fifty years ago, he was born in the
primeval forests of this State and this country, and all
he asks of you now is a peaceful grave in the bosom
of the land that gave him birth. I cannot speak
to you of his wonderful life and works. Time for-
bids, and history will take care of that, and your
children's children will read of this emotion when we
have passed away from this earth. . . . You brethren
here of the South, I greet you to-day, and you breth-
ren of the North, East, and West. Come, let lis lay
all our bitternesses up in the coffin of the dear man.
Let him carry them with him to the grave in silence.
Till the angels disturb the slumbers of the dead let
us love each other more, our country better. May
God bless you and the dear family ; and, as they con-
stitute a great family on earth, I hope they will con-

37^ THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

stitute a great family in the kingdom of God, and
where I hope to meet you all in the end. Amen.

After an ode by Horace, sung in Latin by the
United German Singing Society, Mr. Robinson an-
nounced the late President's favorite hymn, " Ho,
reapers of life's harvest," which the German vocal
societies of Cleveland sang with marked effect. The
exercises closed with the benediction by President
Hinsdale, of Hiram College, and, reentering their
carriages, the mourners drove hurriedly back to the
city, to avoid another shower which was threatened.
The military and masonic escort left the cemetery
in the same order in which they entered, and kept
in line until the catafalque was reached, where they
were dismissed.

The following day the sad family of General Gar-
field returned in gloom to their home in Mentor ;
there, secluded from the public gaze, to weep with
each other, — a precious privilege to lovers of quiet
like them, who had been in the focus of the world's
gaze for so many terrible weeks.

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 377

CHAPTER XXIII.

IN MEMORIAM.

BKTBOSFXCTTVZ YTEW OF HIS LIFR. — THR 8RCRRT OF HIS GRRAT2TBM.

— TRIBUTRS FROM DISTINGUISHED MSB. — INCIDRNT OF HIS SIOKWRSS.

— LET T ER WRITTRN IS HIS BOTHOOD. — 8UB8CBIPTIOH FOB HIS FAM-
ILY. — CLOSING WORDS.

As we cast a retrospective glance over the life
which has now become as a whole a matter of his-
tory, the question presents itself to the student of
the biography : In what feature of his character did
his greatness most exhibit itself ? Unlike some of
ancient renown, and who perhaps would have been
less renowned had they lived in this critical, enlight-
ened century, General Garfield was not great in all
directions. What strength may have lain dormant in
his nature, undeveloped for the lack of those circum-
stances which would exhibit or test them, cannot be
estimated. Certainly, neither in war, nor letters, nor
revolutions, was he placed under such fearful tests
as have been noted in the history of some other men
in other countries. Yet we say, and the verdict of
unbiased history will say, he is counted rightly among
the great men of his time.

Looking, then, closely into his character and rec-

378 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

ord, we should say that the noblest characteristic of
his nature was his outspoken, outacted, and unrivaled
sympathy with the weak. Without that principle
deeply permeating his nature no man can be either
noble, good, or great, in the best sense of those
terms, and the grandest heroism of any age has
found its impetus in that disposition.

When Jimmy Garfield returned to his mother, in
her old log cabin, because he could not bear to leave
her alone, and pledged himself to remain by her as
her support, he exhibited in a touching manner this
noble impulse.

When James A. Garfield, as a school-boy, spread
his strong hand and arm as a protective shield to
the little boys and girls which the rude youths of
Orange were persecuting, the nobility of his nature
came clearly into view.

When James, as a student at the Chester Acad-
emy, stood boldly forth as the champion of the weak
and despised denomination of Christians, against the
popular opinion, ridicule, and the opposition of the
professors, and declared, " They shall not want a dis-
ciple while I live," he arose to a higher plane of hero-
ism, and exhibited the true spirit of martyrdom.

When, in the Ohio Legislature, the cause of the
poor slave was being bandied about in jokes, and the
" nigger " was often mentioned in derision, James A,
Garfield wrote to his colleague, and quoted Burns,
saying : —

" A man 's a man for a' that"

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 379

The greatness of his soul again arose in view.

When, in that terrible and disastrous battle at Chat-
tanooga, the strongest wing of the Union army, under
the direct command of Rosecrans himself, was scat-
tered like chaff ; when panic and dismay were shown
in every soldier's pallid face ; when for two miles th
roads, fields, ravines, and hill-sides were covered with
the ghastly dead, or the more hideous bodies of the
shattered and bleeding living ; when General Thomas
alone held his post in the darkness of his own can-
non's smoke, — then, when Brigadier-General Gar-
field turned back the tide of retreat by pleading with
the men not to leave the wounded and dying in the
hands of the enemy, and rallied enough to protect
the flank of Thomas's division, and save the victory,
and it may be save the great republic, the sublimest
heights of human greatness seemed to have been
reached. For that he was made a major-general.

When, in the Chicago Republican Convention of
1880, General Garfield took the side of the derided
and despised Virginian who dared declare himself
alone to be the keeper of his own conscience, and who
enunciated the principle that right, and not party,
claimed his first allegiance, then again, under the
most trying circumstances, and yet in the clearest
light, his sympathy for the weak gave power to his
words, and elevated him far above the masses of the
convention. For that he was made President.

The following letter was from John G. Whit-
ticr: —

38O THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

Danvers, Mass., 9th mo., 24, 1881.

W. H. B. Currier, — My dear Friend : I regret
that it is not in my power to join the citizens of
Amesbury and Salisbury in the memorial services on
the occasion of the death of our lamented President
But in heart and sympathy I am with you. I share
the great sorrow which overshadows the land ; I
fully appreciate the irretrievable loss. But it seems
to me that the occasion is one for thankfulness as
well as grief. Through all the stages of the solemn
tragedy which has just closed with the death of our
noblest and best, I have felt that the Divine Provi-
dence was overruling the mighty affliction ; that the
patient sufferer at Washington was drawing with
cords of sympathy all sections and parties nearer to
each other. And now, when Sout-h and North, Dem-
ocrat and Republican, Radical and Conservative, lifts
their voices in one unbroken accord of lamentation;
when I see how, in spite of the greed of gain, the
lust of office, the strifes and meanness of party poli-
tics, the great heart of the nation proves sound and
loyal, I feel a new hope for the republic, I have a
firmer faith in its stability. It is said that no man
liveth and no man dieth to himself ; and the pure
and noble life of Garfield and his slow, long martyr-
dom, so bravely borne in the view of all, are, I be-
lieve, bearing for us, as a people, " the peaceable fruits
of righteousness." We are stronger, wiser, better,
for them. With him it is well. His mission fulfilled,
he goes to his grave by the lake-side honored and
lamented as man never was before. The whole world
mourns him. There is no speech nor language where
the voice of his praise is not heard. About his grave
gathers, with heads uncovered, the vast brotherhood
of man.

And with us it is well also. We are nearer a united
people than ever before. We are at peace with all ;

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 38 1

our future is full of promise ; our industrial and
financial condition is hopeful. God grant that, while
our material interests prosper, the moral and spirit-
ual influence of this occasion may be permanently
felt ; that the solemn sacrament of sorrow whereof
we have been partakers may be blest to the promo-
tion of the righteousness which exalts a nation.
Thy friend, John G. Whittier.

Alfred Tennyson wrote to Mr. Lowell from Hasle-
mere : —

We learned yesterday that the President was gone.
We had watched with much admiration his fortitude,
and not without hope the fluctuations of his health,
these many days. Now we almost seem to have lost
a personal friend. He was a good man and a noble
one. Accept from me and my wife and family assur-
ance of heart-felt sympathy for Mrs. Garfield, for
yourself, and for your country.

A day of fasting and prayer was appointed by all
the governors of the United States at the time Pres-
ident Garfield was removed to Long Branch, and a
Philadelphia paper related an incident connected
with that solemn and universally observed day : —

" Crete," said the President to his brave little wife
about eleven, Thursday morning, as the ringing
strokes from the belfry of the Episcopal Church, al-
most across from the cottage, reached his ears,
" what are they ringing that bell for ? " " That ? "
said Mrs. Garfield, who had been waiting for the sur-
prise. " That 's the church where we were when you
first came down. They're all going to pray for you
to get well;" and, failing on her knees, she said,
" and I 'm going to pray, too, James, that it may be
soon ; for I know already that the other prayer has

382 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

been heard." From where he lay Garfield could see
the carriages draw up, and group after group go in.
He could even hear the subdued refrain of " jesus,
lover of my soul," as it was borne by on its heaven-
ward way. Thrilled with emotion, a tear trickled
. down the President's face. After a while a sweet,
woman's voice arose, singing from one of Sir Michael
Costa's oratorios. " Turn Thou unto me, and have
mercy upon me," sang the voice, " for I am desolate ;
I am desolate and afflicted ; the troubles of my^heart
are enlarged. Oh, bring Thou me out of my dis-
tresses, out of my distresses, my God ! " The people
in the church sat almost spell-bound under the voice.
Mrs. George W. Childs, who sang the recitative, was
affected deeply, and made it seem to all, what it must
have been to her, a prayer in music.

We give below a letter written by President Gar-
field, and addressed to Mr. C. E. Fuller, now of Des
Moines, Iowa, who had been a room-mate of the la-
mented President while at college. At the time
this letter was written the future President had just
recovered from a dangerous illness.

Williams College, August 10, 1854.
My Dear Sir, — I have been down near to the
gates of the " Silent City " since last I wrote to you.
Perhaps it were better had I entered, — God know-
eth. But the crisis is passed, and I am slowly- re-
turning now. Your kind, good letter was received
to-day, and I will respond immediately. I think I
told you in my other that I had taken cold nearly
every night since I came, and had had a severe head-
ache for about ten days. However, I kept on study-
ing until Friday, the 4th, when the hot water sti earned
from my eyes so that I could not see, and I was

OF GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 383

obliged to stop and send for a physician. . . . Oh,
how much I have felt the absence of dear friends
during these long, dreary hours of pain ! I mustf
subjoin some lines that have been ringing through
the chambers of my soul, and though I do not know
the name of the author, yet they possess the ele-
ments of immortality. I know you will love them
and feel them : —

** Commend me to the friend that comes

When I am sad and lone, «

And makes the anguish of my heart

The suffering of his own ;
Who coldly shuns the glittering throng

At pleasure's gay levee,
And comes to gild a sombre hour

And give his heart to me.

' " He hears me count my sorrows o'er,

And when the task is done
He freely gives me all I ask, —

A sigh for every one.
He cannot wear a smiling face 4

When mine is touched with gloom,
But like the violet seeks to cheer

The midnight with perfume.

" Commend me to that generous heart

Wrhich like the pine on high
Uplifts the same unvarying brow

To every change of sky ;
Whose friendship does not fade away

When wintry tempests blow,
But like the winter's icy crown

Looks greener through the snow.

* He flies not with the flitting stork,

That seeks a Southern sky,
But lingers where the wounded bird

Hath laid him down to die.
Oh, such a friend ! He is in truth,

Whate'er his lot may be,
A rainbow on the storm of life,

An anchor on its sea."

Thank God, I enjoy such friends as that, though
they are not with me. But I must stop. ... I need
not say I am, as ever, your brother,

James.

384 THE LIFE, ETC., OF J. A. GARFIELD.

Cyrus W. Field, and other capitalists of New York,
soon after the President's assassination, started a
subscription for his family, which was increased after
the President's death to nearly #350,000. Cyrus W.
Field will also place a memorial window to the late
President in the chapel of Williams College, of which
General Garfield was a graduate.

The greatest poets of the world vied with each
other in tributes of poetic measure, a collection of
which would fill a volume, and, in despair of making
anything approaching a comprehensive collection of
the world's intellectual tributes to this loved martyr,
we lay down our pen, quoting the last vers", of the
sweet poem by Oliver Wendell Holmes : —

" Farewell ! the leaf-strown earth enfolds
Our stay, our pride, our hopes, our fears.
And autumn's golden sun beholds
A nation bowed, a world in tears. "

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